Evidence for inbreeding depression in captive Damaraland mole-rats.

Seager, David; Leedale, Amy E; Thorley, Jack Benjamin; Vullioud, Philippe; Zöttl, Markus; Clutton-Brock, Tim

Abstract

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.

Citation

Seager, D., Leedale, A. E., Thorley, J. B., Vullioud, P., Zöttl, M., & Clutton-Brock, T. (2024). Evidence for inbreeding depression in captive Damaraland mole-rats. Biology Letters, 20(10), 20240407. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0407

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 27, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Oct 30, 2024
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2024
• Deposit Date: Nov 4, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 4, 2024
• Journal: Biology letters
• Electronic ISSN: 1744-957X
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 20
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 20240407
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0407
• Keywords: Breeding, Depression, Inbreeding, Cooperative, Animals, Mole Rats, Reproduction, Litter Size, Female, Male, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Genetic Fitness, Inbreeding Depression
• PMID: 39471834