Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2005
Severe inbreeding depression in a wild wolf (Canis lupus) population
Liberg O, Andren H, Pedersen HC, Sand H, Sejberg D, Wabakken P, Akesson M, Bensch SAbstract
The difficulty of obtaining pedigrees for wild populations has hampered the possibility of demonstrating inbreeding depression in nature. In a small, naturally restored, wild population of grey wolves in Scandinavia, founded in 1983, we constructed a pedigree for 24 of the 28 breeding pairs established in the period 1983-2002. Ancestry for the breeding animals was determined through a combination of field data (snow tracking and radio telemetry) and DNA microsatellite analysis. The population was founded by only three individuals. The inbreeding coefficient F varied between 0.00 and 0.41 for wolves born during the study period. The number of surviving pups per litter during their first winter after birth was strongly correlated with inbreeding coefficients of pups (R-2 = 0. 39, p < 0.00 1). This inbreeding depression was recalculated to match standard estimates of lethal equivalents (213), corresponding to 6.04 (2.58-9.48, 95% CI) litter-size-reducing equivalents in this wolf populationPublished in
Biology Letters2005, volume: 1, number: 1, pages: 17-20
Publisher: ROYAL SOCIETY
Authors' information
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Conservation Biology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Conservation Biology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Conservation Biology
Pedersen, H-C.
Sejberg, D.
Åkesson, M.
Wabakken, P.
Bensch, S.
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Ecology
UKÄ Subject classification
Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
Publication Identifiers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2004.0266
URI (permanent link to this page)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/6424