Soulsbury, Carl D. and Alatalo, Rauno V. and Lebigre, Christope and Rokka, Kaisa and Siitari, Heli (2011) Age-dependent inbreeding risk and offspring fitness costs in female black grouse. Biology Letters, 7 (6). pp. 853-855. ISSN 1744-9561

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Abstract

Dispersal is an important mechanism used to avoid inbreeding. However, dispersal may only be effective for part of an individual’s lifespan since, post-dispersal individuals that breed over multiple reproductive events may risk mating with kin of the philopatric sex as they age. We tested this hypothesis in black grouse Tetrao tetrix, and show that yearling females never mated with close relatives whereas older females did. However, matings were not with direct kin suggesting that short-distance dispersal to sites containing kin and subsequent overlap of reproductive lifespans between males and females were causing this pattern. Chick mass was lower when kinship was high, suggesting important fitness costs associated with inbred matings. This study shows that increased inbreeding risk might be a widespread yet rarely considered cost of ageing.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Dispersal is an important mechanism used to avoid inbreeding. However, dispersal may only be effective for part of an individual’s lifespan since, post-dispersal individuals that breed over multiple reproductive events may risk mating with kin of the philopatric sex as they age. We tested this hypothesis in black grouse Tetrao tetrix, and show that yearling females never mated with close relatives whereas older females did. However, matings were not with direct kin suggesting that short-distance dispersal to sites containing kin and subsequent overlap of reproductive lifespans between males and females were causing this pattern. Chick mass was lower when kinship was high, suggesting important fitness costs associated with inbred matings. This study shows that increased inbreeding risk might be a widespread yet rarely considered cost of ageing.
Keywords:	inbreeding, natal dispersal, breeding dispersal, parental relatedess
Subjects:	C Biological Sciences > C120 Behavioural Biology C Biological Sciences > C300 Zoology
Divisions:	College of Sciences > Faculty of Science > School of Life Sciences
Depositing User:	Carl Soulsbury
Date Deposited:	03 Oct 2012 16:04
Last Modified:	13 Mar 2013 09:15
URI:	http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/id/eprint/6406

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