Genomes of Galapagos Mockingbirds Reveal the Impact of Island Size and Past Demography on Inbreeding and Genetic Load in Contemporary Populations.

ABSTRACT: Restricted range size brings about noteworthy genetic consequences that may affect the viability of a population and eventually its extinction. Particularly, the question if an increase in inbreeding can avert the accumulation of genetic load via purging is hotly debated in the conservation genetic field. Insular populations with limited range sizes represent an ideal setup for relating range size to these genetic factors. Leveraging a set of eight differently sized populations of Galápagos mockingbirds (Mimus), we investigated how island size shaped effective population size (N_e), inbreeding and genetic load. We assembled a genome of M. melanotis and genotyped three individuals per population by whole-genome resequencing. Demographic inference showed that the N_e of m

SUBMITTER: Vlcek J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11842953 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature