Evidence of an Absence of Inbreeding Depression in a Wild Population of Weddell Seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>)
Inbreeding depression can reduce the viability of wild populations. Detecting inbreeding depression in the wild is difficult; developing accurate estimates of inbreeding can be time and labor intensive. In this study, we used a two-step modeling procedure to incorporate uncertainty inherent in estim...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Entropy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/25/3/403 |
| _version_ | 1797611998454743040 |
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| author | John H. Powell Steven T. Kalinowski Mark L. Taper Jay J. Rotella Corey S. Davis Robert A. Garrott |
| author_facet | John H. Powell Steven T. Kalinowski Mark L. Taper Jay J. Rotella Corey S. Davis Robert A. Garrott |
| author_sort | John H. Powell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Inbreeding depression can reduce the viability of wild populations. Detecting inbreeding depression in the wild is difficult; developing accurate estimates of inbreeding can be time and labor intensive. In this study, we used a two-step modeling procedure to incorporate uncertainty inherent in estimating individual inbreeding coefficients from multilocus genotypes into estimates of inbreeding depression in a population of Weddell seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>). The two-step modeling procedure presented in this paper provides a method for estimating the magnitude of a known source of error, which is assumed absent in classic regression models, and incorporating this error into inferences about inbreeding depression. The method is essentially an errors-in-variables regression with non-normal errors in both the dependent and independent variables. These models, therefore, allow for a better evaluation of the uncertainty surrounding the biological importance of inbreeding depression in non-pedigreed wild populations. For this study we genotyped 154 adult female seals from the population in Erebus Bay, Antarctica, at 29 microsatellite loci, 12 of which are novel. We used a statistical evidence approach to inference rather than hypothesis testing because the discovery of both low and high levels of inbreeding are of scientific interest. We found evidence for an <i>absence</i> of inbreeding depression in lifetime reproductive success, adult survival, age at maturity, and the reproductive interval of female seals in this population. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:36:13Z |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1099-4300 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:36:13Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
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| series | Entropy |
| spelling | doaj.art-ba936d2a3c654c5a92554aef85f4b15b2023-11-17T10:55:44ZengMDPI AGEntropy1099-43002023-02-0125340310.3390/e25030403Evidence of an Absence of Inbreeding Depression in a Wild Population of Weddell Seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>)John H. Powell0Steven T. Kalinowski1Mark L. Taper2Jay J. Rotella3Corey S. Davis4Robert A. Garrott5Department of Ecology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173460, Bozeman, MT 59717, USADepartment of Ecology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173460, Bozeman, MT 59717, USADepartment of Ecology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173460, Bozeman, MT 59717, USADepartment of Ecology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173460, Bozeman, MT 59717, USADepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, CanadaDepartment of Ecology, Montana State University, P.O. Box 173460, Bozeman, MT 59717, USAInbreeding depression can reduce the viability of wild populations. Detecting inbreeding depression in the wild is difficult; developing accurate estimates of inbreeding can be time and labor intensive. In this study, we used a two-step modeling procedure to incorporate uncertainty inherent in estimating individual inbreeding coefficients from multilocus genotypes into estimates of inbreeding depression in a population of Weddell seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>). The two-step modeling procedure presented in this paper provides a method for estimating the magnitude of a known source of error, which is assumed absent in classic regression models, and incorporating this error into inferences about inbreeding depression. The method is essentially an errors-in-variables regression with non-normal errors in both the dependent and independent variables. These models, therefore, allow for a better evaluation of the uncertainty surrounding the biological importance of inbreeding depression in non-pedigreed wild populations. For this study we genotyped 154 adult female seals from the population in Erebus Bay, Antarctica, at 29 microsatellite loci, 12 of which are novel. We used a statistical evidence approach to inference rather than hypothesis testing because the discovery of both low and high levels of inbreeding are of scientific interest. We found evidence for an <i>absence</i> of inbreeding depression in lifetime reproductive success, adult survival, age at maturity, and the reproductive interval of female seals in this population.https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/25/3/403data cloningmicrosatellitesindividual inbreeding coefficientlifetime reproductive successstatistical evidenceinformation criteria |
| spellingShingle | John H. Powell Steven T. Kalinowski Mark L. Taper Jay J. Rotella Corey S. Davis Robert A. Garrott Evidence of an Absence of Inbreeding Depression in a Wild Population of Weddell Seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>) Entropy data cloning microsatellites individual inbreeding coefficient lifetime reproductive success statistical evidence information criteria |
| title | Evidence of an Absence of Inbreeding Depression in a Wild Population of Weddell Seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>) |
| title_full | Evidence of an Absence of Inbreeding Depression in a Wild Population of Weddell Seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>) |
| title_fullStr | Evidence of an Absence of Inbreeding Depression in a Wild Population of Weddell Seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evidence of an Absence of Inbreeding Depression in a Wild Population of Weddell Seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>) |
| title_short | Evidence of an Absence of Inbreeding Depression in a Wild Population of Weddell Seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>) |
| title_sort | evidence of an absence of inbreeding depression in a wild population of weddell seals i leptonychotes weddellii i |
| topic | data cloning microsatellites individual inbreeding coefficient lifetime reproductive success statistical evidence information criteria |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/25/3/403 |
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