Genomic Evidence for the Purging of Deleterious Genetic Variation in the Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale.

ABSTRACT: The reduced genetic diversity and frequent inbreeding associated with small population size may underpin the accumulation and expression of deleterious mutations (mutation load) in some declining populations. However, demographic perturbations and inbreeding coupled with purifying selection can also purge declining populations of deleterious mutations, leading to intriguing recoveries. To better understand the links between deleterious genetic variation and population status, we assess patterns of genetic diversity, inbreeding, and mutation load across the genomes of three species of Balaenidae whale with different demographic histories and recoveries following the end of commercial whaling in the 1980s. Unlike bowhead (BH) and Southern right whales (SRW), which show signs of recent

SUBMITTER: Orton RW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11665784 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature