| Autor: |
Seager D; Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa., Leedale AE; Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.; School of Science, Engineering & Environment, University of Salford, Salford, UK., Thorley JB; Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa., Vullioud P; Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.; Neuchâtel Platform of Analytical Chemistry, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland., Zöttl M; Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.; Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden., Clutton-Brock T; Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.; Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.; Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0028, South Africa. |
| Abstrakt: |
Mating between closely related individuals can result in a reduction in offspring fitness, known as inbreeding depression. Here, we investigate whether breeding with close relatives affects the reproductive output of parents and the development of their offspring in Damaraland mole-rats ( Fukomys damarensis ), a cooperatively breeding species where females avoid mating with familiar individuals. By cross-fostering litters of pups soon after birth, we were able to form breeding pairs from full siblings that were reared apart. We compared the reproductive output of these sibling pairs and the survival and growth of their pups with that of unrelated pairs over a period of 4 years. The litter sizes and interbirth intervals of sibling pairs did not differ from those of unrelated pairs, but the growth and survival of inbred offspring were lower, showing that breeding between close relatives is associated with substantial fitness costs. This study suggests that inbreeding depression is an important driver of the extreme reproductive skew observed in social mole-rats. Studies of the costs of inbred matings are now needed in similar species, such as naked mole-rats ( Heterocephalus glaber ), where captive females more commonly breed with close relatives, to determine whether these costs are lower than in Damaraland mole-rats. |
