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Seager, David, Leedale, Amy E., Thorley, Jack Benjamin 
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8426-610X, Vullioud, Philippe, Zöttl, Markus and Clutton-Brock, Tim
(2024)
Evidence for inbreeding depression in captive Damaraland mole-rats.
Biology Letters, 20 (10).
ISSN 1744-9561
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Abstract
Mating between closely related individuals can result in a reduction in offspring fitness, known as inbreeding depression. Here, we investigate whether breeding with close relatives affects the reproductive output of parents and the development of their offspring in Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis), a cooperatively breeding species where females avoid mating with familiar individuals. By cross-fostering litters of pups soon after birth, we were able to form breeding pairs from full siblings that were reared apart. We compared the reproductive output of these sibling pairs and the survival and growth of their pups with that of unrelated pairs over a period of 4 years. The litter sizes and interbirth intervals of sibling pairs did not differ from those of unrelated pairs, but the growth and survival of inbred offspring were lower, showing that breeding between close relatives is associated with substantial fitness costs. This study suggests that inbreeding depression is an important driver of the extreme reproductive skew observed in social mole-rats. Studies of the costs of inbred matings are now needed in similar species, such as naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber), where captive females more commonly breed with close relatives, to determine whether these costs are lower than in Damaraland mole-rats.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | breeding,cooperative,depression,inbreeding,agricultural and biological sciences (miscellaneous),general agricultural and biological sciences ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1101 |
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Sep 2026 15:31 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Sep 2026 15:31 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/104544 |
| DOI: | 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0407 |
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