Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
3 years ago

Inbreeding load virtually eliminated in Drosophila after long-term purging.

Heredity
Long-term exhaustion of the inbreeding load in Drosophila melanogaster
Noelia Pérez‐Pereira, Ramón Pouso, Ana Rus, Ana Fernández Vilas, Eugenio López‐Cortegano, Aurora García-Dorado, Humberto Quesada, Armando Caballero

Paper Summary

Related papers

Theme background image
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
3 years ago

Inbreeding in Stressful Environments Reduces Genetic Health Risks in Populations

Population Genetics
Pollinator Decline
Insect-Plant Interactions
1 view
Theme background image
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
3 years ago

Inbreeding load virtually eliminated in Drosophila after long-term purging.

Genetic Adaptation
Population Genetics
Quantitative Traits
1 view
Theme background image
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
4 years ago

Slow inbreeding purges harmful mutations, reducing genetic defects in fruit flies.

Population Genetics
Evolutionary Ecology
Pollinator Decline
1 view

Inbreeding depression, which is when inbred individuals have lower fitness, is a common issue in biology and breeding. Scientists studied how inbreeding over many generations affects fruit flies. They found that after around 100 generations, the negative effects of inbreeding were mostly gone in large populations. This happened because harmful genes were removed through a process called genetic purging. The results suggest that inbreeding can actually help get rid of bad genes in the long run.