Abstract
Although captive breeding programs are valuable for conservation, they have been shown to be associated with genetic changes, such as adaptation to captivity or inbreeding. In addition, reproductive performance is strongly age-dependent in most animal species. These mechanisms that potentially impact reproduction have often been studied separately, while their interactions have rarely been addressed. In this study, using a large dataset of nine male and female reproductive parameters measured for 12,295 captive houbara bustards (Chlamydotis undulata undulata) over 24 years, we investigated the relative and interactive effects of age, inbreeding and number of generations in captivity on reproduction. We clearly identified (1) senescence patterns in all parameters studied; (2) negative effects of inbreeding on sperm characteristics, display behavior, egg weight, egg volume and hatching probability; and (3) changes in phenotypic values for seven parameters according to number of generations in captivity. However, the effect sizes associated with age were substantially greater than those associated with inbreeding and number of generations in captivity. Beyond the independent effects of these three factors on reproductive parameters, the results highlighted their interactive effects and thus the importance of integrating them in the design of genetic management plans for conservation breeding programs.
Highlights
Captive breeding programs are valuable for conservation, they have been shown to be associated with genetic changes, such as adaptation to captivity or inbreeding
Through a detailed study of nine reproductive parameters measured in 7242 females and 5053 males from a captive population of houbara, we showed that (1) age, inbreeding and number of generations in captivity had effects on reproductive parameters in a broadly consistent way across parameters; (2) the directions of these effects were consistent with some theoretical expectations, such as inbreeding depression or senescence theories; (3) effect sizes associated with age were substantially larger in our study system than those associated with inbreeding or number of generations in captivity; and (4) there were interactive effects of these factors on reproductive parameters
Reproductive performance is assumed to vary from one individual to another and over individuals’ lives, which is consistent with observations in the wild
Summary
Captive breeding programs are valuable for conservation, they have been shown to be associated with genetic changes, such as adaptation to captivity or inbreeding. Our study is at the interface of previous research on houbara that have highlighted (1) a negative effect of inbreeding on behavioral phenotypes[33,34], hatching success, post hatching mortality and growth[35]; (2) the senescence of reproductive parameters in the free-ranging p opulation[36] and in the captive p opulation[37,38,39,40]; (3) the efficient maintenance of genetic diversity and minimization of inbreeding within the captive p opulation[32]; and (4) intergenerational variations in reproductive parameters[41,42] Within this framework, we were interested in (1) quantifying the relative effects of age, inbreeding and number of generations in captivity on reproductive performance and (2) assessing their potential interactions. A positive interaction between inbreeding and age accelerates senescence in most inbred individuals[28,29,30]
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