title: Inbreeding depression across the lifespan in a wild mammal population.
abstract: Inbreeding depression is of major concern for the conservation of threatened species, and inbreeding avoidance is thought to be a key driver in the evolution of mating systems. However, the estimation of individual inbreeding coefficients in natural populations has been challenging, and, consequently, the full effect of inbreeding on fitness remains unclear. Genomic inbreeding coefficients may resolve the long-standing paucity of data on inbreeding depression in adult traits and total fitness. Here we investigate inbreeding depression in a range of life history traits and fitness in a wild population of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in Scotland using individual inbreeding coefficients derived from dense Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) data (Fgrm). We find associations between[Formula: see text]and annual breeding success in both sexes, and between maternal inbreeding coefficient and offspring survival. We also confirm previous findings of inbreeding depression in birth weight and juvenile survival. In contrast, inbreeding coefficients calculated from a deep and comparatively complete pedigree detected inbreeding depression in juvenile survival, but not in any adult fitness component. The total effect of inbreeding on lifetime breeding success (LBS) was substantial in both sexes: for Fgrm = 0.125, a value resulting from a half-sib mating, LBS declined by 72% for females and 95% for males. Our results demonstrate that SNP-based estimates of inbreeding provide a powerful tool for evaluating inbreeding depression in natural populations, and suggest that, to date, the prevalence of inbreeding depression in adult traits may have been underestimated.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom; jisca.huisman@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Jisca
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huisman
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom; Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Acton 2601, ACT, Australia;
authors.forename: Loeske E B
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Kruuk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Clutton-Brock
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, United Kingdom;
authors.forename: Josephine M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pemberton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D003670:Deer / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005260:Female; D056084:Genetic Fitness; D007178:Inbreeding; D008297:Male; D010375:Pedigree; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011247:Pregnancy; D012606:Scotland
keywords: Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism; adult traits; fitness; parental inbreeding; red deer