Negative Effects Of Inbreeding Research Articles

Selfing in epiphytic bromeliads compensates for the limited pollination services provided by nectarivorous bats in a neotropical montane forest.

Abstract. Plants with specialized pollination systems frequently exhibit adaptations for self-pollination, and this contradictory situation has been explained in terms of the reproductive assurance function of selfing. In the neotropics, several plant lineages rely on specialized vertebrate pollinators for sexual reproduction, including the highly diverse Bromeliaceae family, which also displays a propensity for selfing. Thus far, the scarce evidence on the role of selfing in bromeliads and in other neotropical plant groups is inconclusive. To provide insights into the evolution and persistence of self-fertilization in the breeding systems of Bromeliaceae, we studied four sympatric epiphytic species from the genus Werauhia (Tillandsioideae) in Costa Rica. We documented their floral biology, pollination ecology and breeding systems. We estimated the contribution of selfing by comparing the reproductive success between emasculated flowers requiring pollinator visits and un-manipulated flowers capable of selfing and exposed to open pollination across two flowering seasons. The studied species displayed specialized pollination by nectar-feeding bats as well as a high selfing ability (auto-fertility index values > 0.53), which was attained by a delayed selfing mechanism. Fruit set from natural cross-pollination was low (<26% in both years) and suggested limited pollinator visitation. In line with this, we found a very low bat visitation to flowers using video-camera recording, from 0 to 0.24 visits per plant per night. On the contrary, the contribution of selfing was comparatively significant since 54-80% of the fruit set from un-manipulated flowers can be attributed to autonomous self-pollination. We concluded that inadequate cross-pollination services diminished the reproductive success of the studied Werauhia, which was compensated for by a delayed selfing mechanism. The low negative effects of inbreeding on seed set and germination likely reinforce the persistence of selfing in this bromeliad group. These results suggest that selfing in bat-pollinated bromeliads may have evolved as a response to pollinator limitation.

Random mating and the lack of sex-biased kin clustering in an island population of the bull-headed shrike, Lanius bucephalus

The encounter with relatives at the time of mating can be reduced if one or both sexes breed away from the natal site, and it is often assumed that this occurs to a lesser extent on islands where only short dispersal is possible. However, endemic insular populations may have evolved fine-tuned dispersal patterns enabling effective avoidance of inbreeding even in a small habitat, and the influence of spatial constraint should be more apparent for non-endemic than endemic populations. Recently established island populations of originally migratory birds can provide insights into the direct effect of habitat area on inbreeding risk. We studied spatial distribution of kin and inbreeding in a population of the bull-headed shrike, Lanius bucephalus, that became established on small oceanic islands separated from the mainland by > 360 km, Minami-daito and Kita-daito Islands, early in the 1970s. Sex-specific spatial genetic structure that could reduce inbreeding risk was absent within the focal Minami-daito Island. This result remained unchanged after the neighbouring Kita-daito Island was incorporated into the analysis. Average relatedness of breeding pairs was not different from that expected under random mating, and FIS was no greater than zero. The estimates of extra-pair paternity frequency were not high (4.5–16% of offspring, depending on the estimation method) compared to the mainland. Inbreeding coefficient of offspring was variable among nests, indicating some occurrence of inbreeding. We found no clear evidence of recent population bottleneck, suggesting that the purging of deleterious recessive alleles did not occur upon colonisation. These results suggest the absence of obvious inbreeding avoidance despite the potentially negative effects of inbreeding. Future studies should quantify inbreeding depression and also formally rule out the possibility that inbreeding is not avoided as an adaptive strategy as has been suggested for endemic island species.

Sustained positive consequences of genetic rescue of fitness and behavioural traits in inbred populations of Drosophila melanogaster.

One solution to alleviate the detrimental genetic effects associated with reductions in population size and fragmentation is to introduce immigrants from other populations. While the effects of this genetic rescue on fitness traits are fairly well known, it is less clear to what extent inbreeding depression and subsequent genetic rescue affect behavioural traits. In this study, replicated crosses between inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster were performed in order to investigate the effects of inbreeding and genetic rescue on egg‐to‐adult viability and negative geotaxis behaviour—a locomotor response used to measure, e.g. the effects of physiological ageing. Transgenerational effects of outcrossing were investigated by examining the fitness consequences in both the F1 and F4 generation. The majority of inbred lines showed evidence for inbreeding depression for both egg‐to‐adult viability and behavioural performance (95% and 66% of lines, respectively), with inbreeding depression being more pronounced for viability compared with the locomotor response. Subsequent outcrossing with immigrants led to an alleviation of the negative effects for both viability and geotaxis response resulting in inbred lines being similar to the outbred controls, with beneficial effects persisting from F1 to F4. Overall, the results clearly show that genetic rescue can provide transgenerational rescue of small, inbred populations by rapidly improving population fitness components. Thus, we show that even the negative effects of inbreeding on behaviour, similar to that of neurodegeneration associated with physiological ageing, can be reversed by genetic rescue.

Inbreeding is associated with shorter early-life telomere length in a wild passerine

Inbreeding can have negative effects on survival and reproduction, which may be of conservation concern in small and isolated populations. However, the physiological mechanisms underlying inbreeding depression are not well-known. The length of telomeres, the DNA sequences protecting chromosome ends, has been associated with health or fitness in several species. We investigated effects of inbreeding on early-life telomere length in two small island populations of wild house sparrows (Passer domesticus) known to be affected by inbreeding depression. Using genomic measures of inbreeding we found that inbred nestling house sparrows (n = 371) have significantly shorter telomeres. Using pedigree-based estimates of inbreeding we found a tendency for inbred nestling house sparrows to have shorter telomeres (n = 1195). This negative effect of inbreeding on telomere length may have been complemented by a heterosis effect resulting in longer telomeres in individuals that were less inbred than the population average. Furthermore, we found some evidence of stronger effects of inbreeding on telomere length in males than females. Thus, telomere length may reveal subtle costs of inbreeding in the wild and demonstrate a route by which inbreeding negatively impacts the physiological state of an organism already at early life-history stages.

A test of the reproductive assurance hypothesis in Ipomoea hederacea: does inbreeding depression counteract the benefits of self-pollination?

Darwin proposed that self-pollination in allegedly outcrossing species might act as a reproductive assurance mechanism when pollinators or mates are scarce; however, in natural populations, the benefits of selfing may be opposed by seed discounting and inbreeding depression. While empirical studies show variation among species and populations in the magnitude of reproductive assurance, little is known about the counterbalancing effects of inbreeding depression. By comparing the female reproductive success of emasculated and open-pollinated flowers, we assessed the reproductive assurance hypothesis in two Mexican populations of Ipomoea hederacea. In one population, we assessed temporal variation in reproductive assurance for three years. We evaluated inbreeding depression on seed production, seedling germination, and dry plant mass by contrasting self- and cross-hand pollination treatments in one population for two years. The contribution of self-pollination to female reproductive success was high and consistent between populations, but there was variation in reproductive assurance across years. Inbreeding depression was absent in the early stages of progeny development, but there was a small negative effect of inbreeding in the probability of germination and the mass of adult progeny. Self-pollination provided significant reproductive assurance in I. hederacea but this contribution was variable across time. The contribution of reproductive assurance is probably reduced by inbreeding depression in later stages of progeny development, but this counter effect was small in the study populations. This study supports the hypothesis that reproductive assurance with limited inbreeding depression is likely an important selective force in the evolution of self-pollination in the genus Ipomoea.

Inbreeding, Native American ancestry and child mortality: linking human selection and paediatric medicine.

The children of related parents show increased risk of early mortality. The Native American genome typically exhibits long stretches of homozygosity, and Latin Americans are highly heterogeneous regarding the individual burden of homozygosity, the proportion and the type of Native American ancestry. We analysed nationwide mortality and genome-wide genotype data from admixed Chileans to investigate the relationship between common causes of child mortality, homozygosity and Native American ancestry. Results from two-stage linear-Poisson regression revealed a strong association between the sum length of runs of homozygosity (SROH) above 1.5 Megabases (Mb) in each genome and mortality due to intracranial non-traumatic haemorrhage of foetus and newborn (5% increased risk of death per Mb in SROH, P = 1 × 10−3) and disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight (P = 3 × 10−4). The major indigenous populations in Chile are Aymara–Quechua in the north of the country and the Mapuche–Huilliche in the south. The individual proportion of Aymara–Quechua ancestry was associated with an increased risk of death due to anencephaly and similar malformations (P = 4 × 10−5), and the risk of death due to Edwards and Patau trisomy syndromes decreased 4% per 1% Aymara–Quechua ancestry proportion (P = 4 × 10−4) and 5% per 1% Mapuche–Huilliche ancestry proportion (P = 2 × 10−3). The present results suggest that short gestation, low birth weight and intracranial non-traumatic haemorrhage mediate the negative effect of inbreeding on human selection. Independent validation of the identified associations between common causes of child death, homozygosity and fine-scale ancestry proportions may inform paediatric medicine.

In-depth Pedigree Analysis and Inbreeding Effect on Reproduction Traits in Sahiwal Nucleus Herd

Background: Loss of genetic diversity is allied with adverse incidents such as inbreeding depression in fitness related traits, addiction of favorable alleles and enhances fluctuation on selection response. Therefore, the study aims to monitor population structure and avoid unfavorable effects of inbreeding for sustainable improvement in breeding programme.Methods: Pedigree information on 3449 animals born from 1955-2018 was analyzed. The effect on inbreeding on Age at first calving (AFC), Service period (SP), Daughter pregnancy rate (DPR), Calving interval (CI) and pregnancy rate was seen by regression analysis.Result: The pedigree completeness index (PCI) were found to be (%) 92.32, 80.26, 65.22, 49.43% and 32.54 respectively from first to fifth generations. The estimated average inbreeding rate was 2.30% and average genetic diversity loss was 2.64%. Study also revealed significant effect of inbreeding on (AFC, CI and SP) with slightly increasing trends. Hence, it is suggested that more precise pedigree recording and planned mating strategies should be adopted to avoid negative effect of inbreeding in future generation.

Reproductive performance in houbara bustard is affected by the combined effects of age, inbreeding and number of generations in captivity

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.

Genomic Analysis, Progress and Future Perspectives in Dairy Cattle Selection: A Review.

Simple SummaryThe discovery of the genome has been one of the greatest advances in the development of tools for the genetic improvement of cattle in the last decades. The use of information derived from genomics has been demonstrated to be an efficient alternative for the validation of kinship, adjusted mating, and conservation strategies to generate dairy cattle with desirable traits. However, the impact of the genetic improvement strategies in breeding programs has closed bloodlines in several milk breeds, consequently generating inbreeding depression. Thus, to mitigate the negative effects of inbreeding, several tools associated with genomic analysis are currently available that may be useful to reverse undesirable genetic trends. The present review will provide an understanding of the importance of genomic analysis and how it can be used to mitigate the negative effects of inbreeding depression on different traits related to production, reproduction, health, animal welfare, linear type traits, and adaptability in dairy cattle. A historical overview of genomics and future perspectives will also be covered.Genomics comprises a set of current and valuable technologies implemented as selection tools in dairy cattle commercial breeding programs. The intensive progeny testing for production and reproductive traits based on genomic breeding values (GEBVs) has been crucial to increasing dairy cattle productivity. The knowledge of key genes and haplotypes, including their regulation mechanisms, as markers for productivity traits, may improve the strategies on the present and future for dairy cattle selection. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) such as quantitative trait loci (QTL), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), or single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (ssGBLUP) methods have already been included in global dairy programs for the estimation of marker-assisted selection-derived effects. The increase in genetic progress based on genomic predicting accuracy has also contributed to the understanding of genetic effects in dairy cattle offspring. However, the crossing within inbred-lines critically increased homozygosis with accumulated negative effects of inbreeding like a decline in reproductive performance. Thus, inaccurate-biased estimations based on empirical-conventional models of dairy production systems face an increased risk of providing suboptimal results derived from errors in the selection of candidates of high genetic merit-based just on low-heritability phenotypic traits. This extends the generation intervals and increases costs due to the significant reduction of genetic gains. The remarkable progress of genomic prediction increases the accurate selection of superior candidates. The scope of the present review is to summarize and discuss the advances and challenges of genomic tools for dairy cattle selection for optimizing breeding programs and controlling negative inbreeding depression effects on productivity and consequently, achieving economic-effective advances in food production efficiency. Particular attention is given to the potential genomic selection-derived results to facilitate precision management on modern dairy farms, including an overview of novel genome editing methodologies as perspectives toward the future.

Nest-departure behaviour of gynes and drones in the invasive yellowjacket Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae).

Inbreeding costs can be high in haplodiploid hymenopterans due to their particular mechanism of sex determination (i.e., single-locus complementary sex-determination system, sl-CSD), as it can lead to the production of sterile males. Therefore, mechanisms contributing to reduced inbred matings can be beneficial. In this sense, asynchronous nest departure of sibling drones and gynes could reduce kin encounters in social hymenopterans. Using six observation colonies, we determined under field conditions the nest departure behaviour of sibling reproductives of the social wasp Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae). We determined that sexuals leave the nests definitively and detected asynchronous departure not fixed to a particular caste at a seasonal scale in some colonies, as gynes or drones delayed their departure as a function of the departure of the opposite sex, depending on the colony. At a higher temporal resolution (i.e., within a day), we discovered that drones consistently began to leave nests 1 h before gynes and this difference was driven by those individuals that left on the same day as did the opposite-sex kin. Even though other mechanisms such as polyandry and differential dispersal could also be important at reducing inbred matings in the species, the observed departure patterns (i.e., in some colonies actually leave together with the opposite caste, while in others temporal segregation seems to occur) from nests could be complementary to the former and be important at reducing the negative effects of inbreeding in this invasive species.

Inbreeding and the Reproduction of Elitism: An Empirical Examination of Inbreeding Within Australian Legal Academia

Academic inbreeding refers to the practice of universities hiring their own graduates. Academic inbreeding has been shown to reduce research productivity, encourage hiring and promotion practices based on social connections rather than transparent, objective and merit-based criteria, and to inhibit innovation by entrenching existing academic culture. Despite the negative effects of inbreeding, there is little empirical research on the problem. This paper investigates the extent and profile of different types of inbreeding among 700 legal academics in 17 Australian law schools. It examines the extent, characteristics and effects of different types of inbred academics, including ‘highly immobile’ academics who have spent their entire careers in the one institution and ‘silver-corded’ academics who return to their alma mater after working elsewhere. We also examine whether inbreeding relates to the status of the university and law school in which an academic is employed, gender, level of appointment, and research productivity. We find that over 40% of Australian legal academics are inbred at some level, and that high levels of inbreeding are more likely to occur in elite law schools and among female and early career academics, although inbreeding does not relate to research productivity.

Negative effect of inbreeding on fitness of an arctic–alpine Hieracium alpinum (Asteraceae), a species with a geographical parthenogenesis distribution pattern

Decreased fitness due to inbreeding in small populations can be a considerable disadvantage in sexually reproducing organisms compared to their asexual relatives. Therefore, inbreeding depression of sexuals could contribute to geographical parthenogenesis (GP) distribution patterns, when sexuals have more restricted distribution than their asexual relatives. In this study, we tested whether biparental inbreeding will lead to decreased fitness in sexual diploids of Hieracium alpinum, a species showing a GP distribution pattern. We performed three types of crosses (inbred, outbred, and interpopulation outbred) and measured eleven fitness traits. A subset of plants was also grown with a natural competitor Nardus stricta to increase any negative effects of inbreeding. We found significant effects of inbreeding in two out of eleven measured traits in the F1 generation. Initial biomass was statistically significantly lower by 9.6% in inbred lineages compared to outbred lineages. Similar trends, i.e., lower values in inbred progeny when compared to outbred one, were found also in final biomass and survival rate (values decreased in inbred progeny by 17.5% and 11.5%, respectively), but these differences were statistically nonsignificant. However, the negative effect of inbreeding on these traits was not increased by the presence of Nardus stricta as a competitor. Our results suggest that biparental inbreeding could to some extent explain a lowered colonizing ability of sexual diploid of H. alpinum, but the GP pattern observed is also likely to be influenced by other processes and their interactions.

The effects of inbreeding on covering success, gestation length and foal sex ratio in Australian thoroughbred horses

BackgroundHorses produce only one foal from an eleven-month gestation period, making the maintenance of high reproductive rates essential. Genetic bottlenecks and inbreeding can increase the frequency of deleterious variants, resulting in reduced reproductive levels in a population. In this study we examined the influence of inbreeding levels on foaling rate, gestation length and secondary sex ratio in Australian Thoroughbred mares. We also investigated the genetic change in these traits throughout the history of the breed. Phenotypic data were obtained from 27,262 breeding records of Thoroughbred mares provided by three Australian stud farms. Inbreeding was estimated using the pedigree of each individual dating back to the foundation of the breed in the eighteenth century.ResultsWhile both gestation length and foaling rate were heritable, no measurable effect of inbreeding on either trait was found. However, we did find that the genetic value for both traits had decreased within recent generations. A number of environmental factors also had significant effects on foaling rate and gestation length. Secondary sex ratio had only an extremely small paternal heritable effect and was not susceptible to environmental influences.ConclusionsIn contrast to racing performance, inbreeding had no measurable effect on foaling rate or gestation length in Australian Thoroughbred horses. This could be because the level of inbreeding in the population examined is not high enough to show a discernible effect on reproductive traits. Populations that experience higher levels of inbreeding due to use of artificial reproductive technologies or extremely small population sizes may show a more pronounced reduction in natural foaling rate or gestation length. It is also possible that the intensive management techniques used in the Thoroughbred population masks any negative effects of inbreeding. The decrease in the genetic value of foaling rate is likely to be because horses with unfavourable genetic potential have not yet been selected out of the population. The change in genetic value of gestation length may be due to selective breeding favouring horses with shorter pregnancies. We also found that prioritising the mating of older mares, and avoiding out of season mating could lead to an increased breeding success.

Heterozygosity and fitness in a threatened songbird: blood parasite infection is explained by single-locus but not genome-wide effects

In non-pedigreed populations, insights into effects of inbreeding can be obtained by correlations between individual heterozygosity and fitness-related traits (HFCs). Using an information-theoretic approach, we explored whether heterozygosity of microsatellite markers, measured as internal relatedness (IR), is associated with infection by blood parasites (Plasmodium, Trypanosoma, or Leucocytozoon) in the threatened Aquatic Warbler (Acrocephalus paludicola). We also explored whether any of the markers is more influential than others, or than IR, in explaining blood parasitism (single-locus effects). While we observed that IR was a relatively important predictor of Plasmodium parasitism, we did not find strong evidence for IR to correlate with infection by the identified blood parasites, accounting for sex and population effects. Therefore, our data did not support negative inbreeding effects on blood parasite infection in the Aquatic Warbler. However, we found single-locus effects, such that individuals heterozygous at AW-03 and Ase19 had lower probability of infection by blood parasites pooled together and by Plasmodium, respectively. This indicates that these two markers are in linkage disequilibrium with unknown fitness loci which are related to resisting or clearing blood parasites, and which confer a heterozygote advantage in the Aquatic Warbler. Our results add to the growing evidence that single-locus effects contribute more to HFCs than formerly recognized and have implications for Aquatic Warbler conservation.

Inbreeding reduces long-term growth of Alpine ibex populations

Many studies document negative inbreeding effects on individuals, and conservation efforts to preserve rare species routinely employ strategies to reduce inbreeding. Despite this, there are few clear examples in nature of inbreeding decreasing the growth rates of populations, and the extent of population-level effects of inbreeding in the wild remains controversial. Here, we take advantage of a long-term dataset of 26 reintroduced Alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex) populations spanning nearly 100 years to show that inbreeding substantially reduced per capita population growth rates, particularly for populations in harsher environments. Populations with high average inbreeding (F ≈ 0.2) had population growth rates reduced by 71% compared with populations with no inbreeding. Our results show that inbreeding can have long-term demographic consequences even when environmental variation is large and deleterious alleles may have been purged during bottlenecks. Thus, efforts to guard against inbreeding effects in populations of endangered species have not been misplaced.

Effects of inbreeding on life-history traits and sexual competency in decorated crickets

Although inbreeding depression in life-history traits has been well characterized, inbreeding effects on mating behaviour and sexually selected traits have been less well studied. Here, we assess levels of inbreeding depression in a number of fitness-related reproductive parameters of female decorated crickets, Gryllodes sigillatus. We predicted that due to direct negative effects of inbreeding and a potential trade-off between reproduction and current survival, as suggested by effects of inbreeding on immunity, inbred females would show significantly reduced reproductive output compared with outbred females. We also examined sex-specific effects of inbreeding on mating competency, focusing specifically on the female's decision to mount a male and the male's ability to transfer a spermatophore. We predicted that any inbreeding depression in sexual competency should be more evident in the success of spermatophore transfer than in female mounting propensity because of the tighter link between mating success and fitness in males than in females. Inbred females produced fewer offspring with longer development times compared with outbred females, results consistent with theory, as inbreeding depression is expected to be more severe for traits more tightly coupled with fitness. Inbreeding also had sex-specific effects on sexual competency. Inbred females were less likely to mount outbred males than were outbred females to mount inbred males. Inbred males were significantly less likely than outbred males to transfer a spermatophore regardless of female inbreeding status. These results reveal that inbreeding may have unexpected consequences for sexual competency and highlight the importance of considering mating behaviour when assessing effects of inbreeding within populations.

Workers' sons rescue genetic diversity at the sex locus in an invasive honey bee population.

The hallmark of eusociality is the division of labour between reproductive (queen) and nonreproductive (worker) females. Yet in many eusocial insects, workers retain the ability to produce haploid male offspring from unfertilized eggs. The reproductive potential of workers has well-documented consequences for the structure and function of insect colonies, but its implications at the population level are less often considered. We show that worker reproduction in honey bees can have an important role in maintaining genetic diversity at the sex locus in invasive populations. The honey bee sex locus is homozygous-lethal, and, all else being equal, a higher allele number in the population lead to higher mean brood survival. In an invasive population of the honey bee Apis cerana in Australia, workers contribute significantly to male production: 38% of male-producing colonies are queenless, and these contribute one-third of all males at mating congregations. Using a model, we show that such male production by queenless workers will increase the number of sex alleles retained in nascent invasive populations following founder events, relative to a scenario in which only queens reproduce. We conclude that by rescuing sex locus diversity that would otherwise be lost, workers' sons help honey bee populations to minimize the negative effects of inbreeding after founder events and so contribute to their success as invaders.

Responses of a legume to inbreeding and the intensity of novel and familiar stresses.

It is often assumed that the negative effects of inbreeding on fitness (inbreeding depression, ID) are particularly strong under stressful conditions. However, ID may be relatively mild under types of stress that plant populations have experienced for a long time, because environment‐specific deleterious alleles may already have been purged. We examined the performance of open‐ and self‐pollinated progeny of the short‐lived calcareous grassland plant Anthyllis vulneraria under three intensities of each of five types of stress. Drought, nutrient deficiency, and defoliation were chosen as stresses typical for the habitat of origin, while shade and waterlogging were expected to be novel, unfamiliar stresses for A. vulneraria. The stresses reduced plant biomass by up to 91%, and the responses of the plants were mostly in line with the functional equilibrium hypothesis. There was significant ID in biomass (δ = 0.17), leaf chlorophyll content, and the number of root nodules of the legume, but the magnitude of ID was independent of the stress treatments. In particular, there was no significant interaction between inbreeding and the intensity of any stress type, and ID was not higher under novel than under familiar stresses. In addition, phenotypic plasticity in biomass allocation, leaf functional traits and in root nodulation of the legume to the various stress treatments was not influenced by inbreeding. Our findings do not support the common hypothesis of stronger ID under stressful environments, not even if the stresses are novel to the plants.

Inbreeding Alters the Chemical Phenotype and Mating Behavior of a Beetle

Mating between closely related individuals is often associated with fitness declines. However, less is known about consequences of inbreeding for (sexual) chemical signaling traits and for mate choice and acceptance. Thus, we investigated effects of inbreeding on the chemical phenotype, i.e., the profile and diversity of putative cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) in the leaf beetle Phaedon cochleariae Fabricius. Moreover, we tested mating probabilities in no choice bioassays with different combinations of outbred and inbred beetles. Finally, we tested male preferences and female aggression in a dual choice bioassay with one outbred male, one outbred and one inbred female. The chemical phenotype was altered in inbred females, which showed a male-like CHC profile. In no choice bioassays, inbred individuals had a decreased mating probability than outbred individuals. Changes in the chemical phenotype of inbred females might be involved in the negative inbreeding effects on mating acceptance. When having the choice, males did not show any preference between outbred and inbred females. However, inbred females were more aggressive in these situations, potentially to raise their chances to be mated, because due to inbreeding depression they have lower reproductive perspectives than outbred females. Overall, inbreeding effects on the chemical phenotype, mating acceptance and female aggression might have consequences for the population dynamics and development of the individuals. In conclusion, these results suggest that inbreeding events have the potential to affect sexual selection of chemical signaling traits and evolutionary processes underlying mating strategies.

Reintroduction of the endangered and endemic plant species Cochlearia bavarica-Implications from conservation genetics.

Population reintroduction is a common practice in conservation, but often fails, also due to the effects of inbreeding or outbreeding depression. Cochlearia bavarica is a strongly endangered plant species endemic to Bavaria in Germany, constantly declining since the late 1980s. Therefore, population reintroduction is intended. In this study, we analyzed genetic diversity within and genetic differentiation between all 32 remnant populations of the species in Swabia and Upper Bavaria using amplified fragment length polymorphisms. Our aim was to increase reintroduction success by providing data to avoid negative effects of inbreeding and outbreeding and to preserve the natural genetic pattern of the species. Genetic diversity within populations was low but similar to other rare and endemic species and varied strongly between populations but did not depend on population size. Our analysis revealed a strong geographic pattern of genetic variation. Genetic differentiation was strongest between Swabia and Upper Bavaria and at the population level, whereas differentiation between subpopulations was comparatively low. Isolation by distance and genetic differentiation was stronger among populations from Upper Bavaria than from Swabia. From the results of our study, we derived recommendations for a successful reintroduction of the species. We suggest using rather genetically variable than large populations as reintroduction sources. Moreover, the exchange of plant material between Swabia and Upper Bavaria should be completely avoided. Within these regions, plant material from genetically similar populations should preferably be used for reintroduction, whereas the exchange among subpopulations seems to be possible without a negative impact on genetic variation due to natural gene flow.