Interpopulation variation in inbreeding is primarily driven by tolerance of mating with relatives in a spermcasting invertebrate.

Abstract

The degree to which individuals inbreed is a fundamental aspect of population biology shaped by both passive and active processes. Yet, the relative influences of random and non-random mating on the overall magnitude of inbreeding are not well characterized for many taxa. We quantified variation in inbreeding among qualitatively accessible and isolated populations of a sessile marine invertebrate (the colonial ascidian Lissoclinum verrilli) in which hermaphroditic colonies cast sperm into the water column for subsequent uptake and internal fertilization. We compared estimates of inbreeding to simulations predicting random mating within sites to evaluate if levels of inbreeding were (1) less than expected because of active attempts to limit inbreeding, (2) as predicted by genetic subdivision and passive inbreeding tolerance, or (3) greater than simulations due to active attempts to promote inbreeding via self-fertilization or a preference for related mates. We found evidence of restricted gene flow and significant differences in the genetic diversity of L. verrilli colonies among sites, indicating that on average colonies were weakly related in accessible locations, but their levels of relatedness matched that of first cousins or half-siblings on isolated substrates. Irrespective of population size, progeny arrays revealed variation in the magnitude of inbreeding across sites that tracked with the mean relatedness of conspecifics. Biparental reproduction was confirmed in most offspring (86%) and estimates of total inbreeding largely overlapped with simulations of random mating, suggesting that interpopulation variation in mother-offspring resemblance was primarily due to genetic subdivision and passive tolerance of related mates. Our results highlight the influence of demographic isolation on the genetic composition of populations, and support theory predicting that tolerance of biparental inbreeding, even when mates are closely related, may be favoured under a broad set of ecological and evolutionary conditions.