Inbreeding Depression Across Multiple Life-History Traits in a Long-Lived Mammal.

ABSTRACT: Inbreeding depression is widely recognised as a near-universal phenomenon of high conservation concern, particularly as wild populations continue to decline. However, most research to date has focused on early life stages, leaving later-life effects comparatively understudied, especially for wild populations of long-lived species. The Pyrenean brown bear (Ursus arctos), characterised by a small population, high levels of inbreeding and conflicts with human activities, embodies the conservation challenges faced by many large mammals. We analysed 27 years of monitoring data to quantify inbreeding depression across multiple life stages on survival, reproduction and dispersal. Our results reveal strong inbreeding depression effects, particularly in early life stages, including a reduction in l

SUBMITTER: Auclair L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12573716 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature