RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 High retention of genomic variation and fitness-related traits in the effective population of reintroduced wolves in Yellowstone National Park
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.02.18.481090
DO 10.1101/2022.02.18.481090
A1 Bridgett M. vonHoldt
A1 Alexandra L. DeCandia
A1 Kira A. Cassidy
A1 Erin E. Stahler
A1 Janet S. Sinsheimer
A1 Douglas W. Smith
A1 Daniel R. Stahler
YR 2022
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/02/20/2022.02.18.481090.abstract
AB Cooperatively breeding species exhibit numerous strategies to avoid mating with close relatives, inherently reducing effective population size. For species of management concern, accurate estimates of inbreeding and trait depression are crucial for the species’ future. We utilized genomic and pedigree data for Yellowstone National Park gray wolves to investigate the contributions of foundation stock lineages, genetic architecture of the effective population, and putative fitness consequences of inbreeding. Our dataset spans 25 years and seven generations since reintroduction, encompassing 152 nuclear families and 329 litters. We found over 87% of the pedigree foundation genomes persisted and report influxes of allelic diversity from two translocated wolves from a divergent source in Montana. As expected for group-living species, mean kinship significantly increased over time, although we found high retention of genetic variation. Strikingly, the effective population carried a significantly lower level of genome-wide inbreeding coefficients and autozygosity with shorter decays for linkage disequilibrium relative to the non-breeding population. Lifespan and heterozygosity were higher in the effective population, although individuals who had their first litter at an older age also had higher inbreeding coefficients. Our findings highlight genetic contributions to fitness, and the importance of effective population size and gene flow to counteract loss of genetic variation in a wild, free-ranging social carnivore. It is crucial for managers to mitigate factors that significantly reduce effective population size and genetic connectivity, which supports the dispersion of genetic variation that aids in rapid evolutionary responses to environmental challenges.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.