Genomic signatures of extensive inbreeding in Isle Royale wolves, a population on the threshold of extinction

Authors

Jacqueline A. Robinson, University of California
Jannikke Raikkonen, Swedish Museum of Natural History
Leah Vucetich, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
John A. Vucetich, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Rolf O. Peterson, Michigan Technological UniversityFollow
Kirk Lohmueller, University of California
Robert Wayne, University of California

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2019

Department

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Abstract

The observation that small isolated populations often suffer reduced fitness from inbreeding depression has guided conservation theory and practice for decades. However, investigating the genome-wide dynamics associated with inbreeding depression in natural populations is only now feasible with relatively inexpensive sequencing technology and annotated reference genomes. To characterize the genome-wide effects of intense inbreeding and isolation, we performed whole-genome sequencing and morphological analysis of an iconic inbred population, the gray wolves (Canis lupus) of Isle Royale. Through population genetic simulations and comparison with wolf genomes from a variety of demographic histories, we find evidence that severe inbreeding depression in this population is due to increased homozygosity of strongly deleterious recessive mutations. Our results have particular relevance in light of the recent translocation of wolves from the mainland to Isle Royale, as well as broader implications for management of genetic variation in the fragmented landscape of the modern world.

Publisher's Statement

Copyright © 2019 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License 4.0 (CC BY-NC). Publisher’s version of record: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau0757

Publication Title

Science Advances

Recommended Citation

Robinson, J. A., Raikkonen, J., Vucetich, L., Vucetich, J. A., Peterson, R. O., Lohmueller, K., & Wayne, R. (2019). Genomic signatures of extensive inbreeding in Isle Royale wolves, a population on the threshold of extinction. Science Advances, 5(5), 1-13. http://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau0757
Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/500

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Version

Publisher's PDF