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High genetic load in an old isolated butterfly population

Mattila, Anniina ; Duplouy, Anne LU ; Kirjokangas, Malla ; Lehtonen, Rainer ; Rastas, Pasi and Hanski, Ilkka (2012) In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 109(37). p.2496-2505
Abstract
We investigated inbreeding depression and genetic load in a small (Ne ∼ 100) population of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia), which has been completely isolated on a small island [Pikku Tytärsaari (PT)] in the Baltic Sea for at least 75 y. As a reference, we studied conspecific populations from the well-studied metapopulation in the Åland Islands (ÅL), 400 km away. A large population in Saaremaa, Estonia, was used as a reference for estimating genetic diversity and Ne. We investigated 58 traits related to behavior, development, morphology, reproductive performance, and metabolism. The PT population exhibited high genetic load (L = 1 − WPT/WÅL) in a range of fitness-related traits including adult weight (L = 0.12), flight... (More)
We investigated inbreeding depression and genetic load in a small (Ne ∼ 100) population of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia), which has been completely isolated on a small island [Pikku Tytärsaari (PT)] in the Baltic Sea for at least 75 y. As a reference, we studied conspecific populations from the well-studied metapopulation in the Åland Islands (ÅL), 400 km away. A large population in Saaremaa, Estonia, was used as a reference for estimating genetic diversity and Ne. We investigated 58 traits related to behavior, development, morphology, reproductive performance, and metabolism. The PT population exhibited high genetic load (L = 1 − WPT/WÅL) in a range of fitness-related traits including adult weight (L = 0.12), flight metabolic rate (L = 0.53), egg viability (L = 0.37), and lifetime production of eggs in an outdoor population cage (L = 0.70). These results imply extensive fixation of deleterious recessive mutations, supported by greatly reduced diversity in microsatellite markers and immediate recovery (heterosis) of egg viability and flight metabolic rate in crosses with other populations. There was no significant inbreeding depression in most traits due to one generation of full-sib mating. Resting metabolic rate was significantly elevated in PT males, which may be related to their short lifespan (L = 0.25). The demographic history and the effective size of the PT population place it in the part of the parameter space in which models predict mutation accumulation. This population exemplifies the increasingly common situation in fragmented landscapes, in which small and completely isolated populations are vulnerable to extinction due to high genetic load. (Less)
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
volume
109
issue
37
pages
2496 - 2505
publisher
National Academy of Sciences
external identifiers
  • scopus:84866304135
ISSN
1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1205789109
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
a9f98984-5094-4e02-9bd2-93100571015b
date added to LUP
2018-11-12 14:44:51
date last changed
2022-03-17 18:57:22
@article{a9f98984-5094-4e02-9bd2-93100571015b,
  abstract     = {{We investigated inbreeding depression and genetic load in a small (Ne ∼ 100) population of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia), which has been completely isolated on a small island [Pikku Tytärsaari (PT)] in the Baltic Sea for at least 75 y. As a reference, we studied conspecific populations from the well-studied metapopulation in the Åland Islands (ÅL), 400 km away. A large population in Saaremaa, Estonia, was used as a reference for estimating genetic diversity and Ne. We investigated 58 traits related to behavior, development, morphology, reproductive performance, and metabolism. The PT population exhibited high genetic load (L = 1 − WPT/WÅL) in a range of fitness-related traits including adult weight (L = 0.12), flight metabolic rate (L = 0.53), egg viability (L = 0.37), and lifetime production of eggs in an outdoor population cage (L = 0.70). These results imply extensive fixation of deleterious recessive mutations, supported by greatly reduced diversity in microsatellite markers and immediate recovery (heterosis) of egg viability and flight metabolic rate in crosses with other populations. There was no significant inbreeding depression in most traits due to one generation of full-sib mating. Resting metabolic rate was significantly elevated in PT males, which may be related to their short lifespan (L = 0.25). The demographic history and the effective size of the PT population place it in the part of the parameter space in which models predict mutation accumulation. This population exemplifies the increasingly common situation in fragmented landscapes, in which small and completely isolated populations are vulnerable to extinction due to high genetic load.}},
  author       = {{Mattila, Anniina and Duplouy, Anne and Kirjokangas, Malla and Lehtonen, Rainer and Rastas, Pasi and Hanski, Ilkka}},
  issn         = {{1091-6490}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{37}},
  pages        = {{2496--2505}},
  publisher    = {{National Academy of Sciences}},
  series       = {{Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}},
  title        = {{High genetic load in an old isolated butterfly population}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1205789109}},
  doi          = {{10.1073/pnas.1205789109}},
  volume       = {{109}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}