title: Does recognized genetic management in supportive breeding prevent genetic changes in life-history traits?
abstract: Supportive breeding is one of the last resort conservation strategies to avoid species extinction. Management of captive populations is challenging because several harmful genetic processes need to be avoided. Several recommendations have been proposed to limit these deleterious effects, but empirical assessments of these strategies remain scarce. We investigated the outcome of a genetic management in a supportive breeding for the Houbara Bustard. At the phenotypic level, we found an increase over generations in the mean values of gamete production, body mass and courtship display rate. Using an animal model, we found that phenotypic changes reflected genetic changes as evidenced by an increase in breeding values for all traits. These changes resulted from selection acting on gamete production and to a lesser extent on courtship display. Selection decreased over years for female gametes, emphasizing the effort of managers to increase the contribution of poor breeders to offspring recruited in the captive breeding. Our results shed light on very fast genetic changes in an exemplary captive programme that follows worldwide used recommendations and emphasizes the need of more empirical evidence of the effects of genetic guidelines on the prevention of genetic changes in supportive breeding.
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Ecologie et de Sciences de la Conservation UMR 7204 CNRS/MNHN/UPMC, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle Paris, France ; Emirates Center for Wildlife Propagation (ECWP), Province de Boulemane Missour, Morocco ; Centre of Excellence in Biological Interactions, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä, Finland.
authors.forename: Rémi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chargé
authors.affiliation: Biogéosciences, UMR CNRS 6282, Université de Bourgogne Dijon, France.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sorci
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Ecologie et de Sciences de la Conservation UMR 7204 CNRS/MNHN/UPMC, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle Paris, France.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saint Jalme
authors.affiliation: Reneco Wildlife Consultants LLC Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Loïc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lesobre
authors.affiliation: Reneco Wildlife Consultants LLC Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hingrat
authors.affiliation: Reneco Wildlife Consultants LLC Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lacroix
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Ecologie et de Sciences de la Conservation UMR 7204 CNRS/MNHN/UPMC, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle Paris, France.
authors.forename: Céline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Teplitsky
keywords: captive populations; conservation genetics; quantitative genetics