Parental genetic characteristics and hatching success in a recovering population of Lesser Kestrels

Ortego, Joaquín; Aparicio, José Miguel; Calabuig, Gustau

doi:10.1007/s10336-009-0438-7

Cited by 15 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…To date only a few studies have considered the effects of inbreeding in tending individuals on the growth and survival of their young (e.g., Cordero et al 2004; Ortego et al 2010), but to our knowledge no studies so far consider these effects in social animals. Taken together, our results show that inbreeding in the worker caste can have profound consequences for fitness in social animals, and that these effects can be mediated by colony‐level processes with cascading effects on population‐level sex ratios, colony‐level allocation patterns, and individual‐level fitness‐related traits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inbreeding and Reproductive Investment in the Ant Formica Exsecta

2011

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In social animals, inbreeding depression may manifest by compromising care or resources individuals receive from inbred group members. We studied the effects of worker inbreeding on colony productivity and investment in the ant Formica exsecta. The production of biomass decreased with increasing inbreeding, as did biomass produced per worker. Inbred colonies produced fewer gynes (unmated reproductive females), whereas the numbers of males remained unchanged. As a result, sex ratios showed increased male bias, and the fraction of workers increased among the diploid brood. Males raised in inbred colonies were smaller, whereas the weight of gynes remained unchanged. The results probably reflect a trade-off between number and quality of offspring, which is expected if the reproductive success of gynes is more dependent on their weight or condition than it is for males. As males are haploid (with the exception of abnormal diploid males produced in very low frequencies in this population), and therefore cannot be inbred themselves, the effect on their size must be mediated through the workers of the colony. We suggest the effects are caused by the inbred workers being less proficient in feeding the growing larvae. This represents a new kind of social inbreeding depression that may affect sex ratios as well as caste fate in social insects. K E Y W O R D S :Inbreeding, reproduction, resource allocation, sex ratio, social insects, trade-off.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inbreeding and Reproductive Investment in the Ant Formica Exsecta

2011

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“…if they belong to genetically differentiated populations), which may have contributed to increase population variance in genetic diversity and extensive ID (Szulkin et al, 2010). Secondly, this species shows moderate levels of polygyny (Krokene et al, 1998;Otter et al, 2001;van Oers et al, 2008;Szulkin et al, 2012; V. Garc ıa-Navas unpubl. data), which may have increased variance in inbreeding and the ability of neutral markers to predict individual's genome-wide heterozygosity (Balloux et al, 2004).…”

Section: Identity Disequilibrium and Expected Power To Detect Inbreedingmentioning

confidence: 96%

Heterozygosity at a single locus explains a large proportion of variation in two fitness‐related traits in great tits: a general or a local effect?

García‐Navas

Cáliz-Campal

Ferrer

et al. 2014

J of Evolutionary Biology

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In natural populations, mating between relatives can have important fitness consequences due to the negative effects of reduced heterozygosity. Parental level of inbreeding or heterozygosity has been also found to influence the performance of offspring, via direct and indirect parental effects that are independent of the progeny own level of genetic diversity. In this study, we first analysed the effects of parental heterozygosity and relatedness (i.e. an estimate of offspring genetic diversity) on four traits related to offspring viability in great tits (Parus major) using 15 microsatellite markers. Second, we tested whether significant heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) were due to 'local' (i.e. linkage to genes influencing fitness) and/or 'general' (genome-wide heterozygosity) effects. We found a significant negative relationship between parental genetic relatedness and hatching success, and maternal heterozygosity was positively associated with offspring body size. The characteristics of the studied populations (recent admixture, polygynous matings) together with the fact that we found evidence for identity disequilibrium across our set of neutral markers suggest that HFCs may have resulted from genome-wide inbreeding depression. However, one locus (Ase18) had disproportionately large effects on the observed HFCs: heterozygosity at this locus had significant positive effects on hatching success and offspring size. It suggests that this marker may lie near to a functional locus under selection (i.e. a local effect) or, alternatively, heterozygosity at this locus might be correlated to heterozygosity across the genome due to the extensive ID found in our populations (i.e. a general effect). Collectively, our results lend support to both the general and local effect hypotheses and reinforce the view that HFCs lie on a continuum from inbreeding depression to those strictly due to linkage between marker loci and genes under selection.

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“…The lesser kestrel Falco naumanni (Fleischer, 1818) is a colonial and migratory falcon, displaying moderate female-biased sexual size dimorphism (Cramp & Simmons 1980;Ortego et al 2010). Its global population is estimated at 25,100-52,000 pairs, whilst the European breeding population lies between 25,000 and 42,000 breeding pairs (BirdLife International 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of postnatal growth in a small falcon, the lesser kestrelFalco naumanni(Fleischer, 1818) (Aves: Falconidae)

Braziotis

Liordos

Bakaloudis

et al. 2017

The European Zoological Journal

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Following a dramatic decline, the lesser kestrel Falco naumanni global population has recently stabilised, although it is still fluctuating in several countries, including Greece. Nestling growth rates and size at fledging greatly influence future survival and reproductive success, and therefore the study of postnatal growth can aid the understanding of population dynamics and the conservation of avian populations. We quantified body mass and morphological traits in female and male lesser kestrel nestlings from a lowland Greek breeding population. Nonlinear mixed models were used to describe and compare growth trajectories. Growth in body mass, tarsus and bill reached asymptotic values before fledging and was best described by the logistic equation, whereas total length grew linearly beyond the fledging phase. Random variation was found in the asymptote in body mass, the inflection point in body mass, tarsus and bill lengths and the intercept in total length, being substantially higher between nests than amongst siblings, implying differences in parental quality between nests and also an even distribution of parental care amongst siblings. Random effects were not observed on the growth rate constant, supporting the hypothesis that it varies little within populations. Females were significantly heavier and had longer bills and total length than males, whereas males were similar to females in tarsus growth. Nonlinear mixed models allowed us to describe a stage of avian life vital for future survival and reproductive output and reveal variation between nests, nestlings and the sexes.

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Parental genetic characteristics and hatching success in a recovering population of Lesser Kestrels

Cited by 15 publications

References 67 publications

Inbreeding and Reproductive Investment in the Ant Formica Exsecta

Inbreeding and Reproductive Investment in the Ant Formica Exsecta

Heterozygosity at a single locus explains a large proportion of variation in two fitness‐related traits in great tits: a general or a local effect?

Patterns of postnatal growth in a small falcon, the lesser kestrelFalco naumanni(Fleischer, 1818) (Aves: Falconidae)

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