Evidence of inbreeding depression is commonly detected from the fitness traits of animals, yet its effects on population growth rates of endangered species are rarely assessed. We examined whether inbreeding depression was affecting Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae), a subspecies listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Our objectives were to characterize ...

The nonlinear effects of inbreeding were studied by comparing linear and curvilinear regression models of phenotypic performances on inbreeding coefficients for production traits (milk, fat, and protein yields) of Holstein cows in their first lactation. Three different regression models (linear, quadratic, and cubic) were introduced separately into a single-trait, single-lactation, random regre...

In terms of sexual intercourse, the very last people we think about are our kin. Imagining inbreeding intercourse, whether it involves our closest kin or not, induces aversion in most people who invoke inbreeding depression problems or cultural considerations. Research has focused on the disgust felt when facing inbreeding intercourse between close kin but little is known about other responses....

We examine the inbreeding load for adult life span and mortality rates of two seed beetle species, Callosobruchus maculatus and Stator limbatus. Inbreeding load differs substantially between males and females in both study populations of C. maculatus--life span of inbred females was 9-13% shorter than the life span of outbred females, whereas the life span of inbred males did not differ from th...

We studied three closely related species of endangered gazelles (Gazella dorcas, Gazella dama and Gazella cuvieri) with different levels of inbreeding in order to determine at which intensities inbreeding influences ejaculate traits. We also examined whether fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is a reliable indicator of genetic as well as reproductive stress. Our results show that, within each populatio...

Measurements of size and asymmetry in morphology might provide early indications of damaging effects of inbreeding or other genetic changes in conservation breeding programs. We examined the effects of inbreeding on size and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in skull and limb bone measurements in experimental populations of three subspecies of Peromyscus polionotus mice that had previously been shown ...

Inbreeding often depresses offspring fitness. Because females invest more than males in a reproductive event, inbreeding is expected to be more costly to mothers than fathers, creating a divergence between the reproductive interests of each sex and promoting sex-specific inbreeding strategies. Males and females may bias the probability of inbreeding by selecting copulation partners, and, in sex...

In wild animal populations, the degree of inbreeding differs between species and within species between populations. Because mating with kin often results in inbreeding depression, observed inbreeding is usually regarded to be caused by limited outbreeding opportunities due to demographic factors like small population size or population substructuring. However, theory predicts inclusive benefit...

The aim of this study was to describe inbreeding and population structure in Sangsari sheep breeding station. For this reason, data from 7028 Sangsari sheep which were collected during 1987-2014 in Sangsari sheep breeding station located near to Damghan city, Semnan province were used. Lambs born during 2010-2014 were considered as reference population. The genetic structure analysis of the pop...

Genetic and Phenotypic Effects Inbreeding can have dramatic effects on a herd. These effects are the result of individuals receiving identical genes from each parent. If the parents are related, it is more likely that they have genes that are identical. An individual receiving identical genes from each parent is said to be homozygous for that pair of genes. This would be desirable if the gene t...