Inbreeding and Its Effects on Wildlife Populations

These flashcards cover key concepts, definitions, and terms related to inbreeding and its effects on wildlife populations.

Inbreeding

The mating of closely related individuals which can lead to a decrease in genetic diversity.

Inbreeding Depression

Reduction in fitness, fertility, and survival due to mating by closely related individuals.

Extinction Vortex

A cycle where small populations suffer from inbreeding, genetic drift, and bad mutations, leading to higher extinction risk.

Genetic Drift

Random changes in allele frequencies in a population, which may lead to reduced genetic diversity.

Inclusive Fitness

A form of fitness that considers the reproductive success of relatives and the shared genetic contribution.

Altruistic Behavior

Behavior by an individual that increases the fitness of others while decreasing its own.

Genetic Rescue

Introduction of individuals from outside populations to increase genetic diversity and reduce inbreeding.

Homozygous Deleterious Alleles

Pairs of alleles that are both harmful and can be more common in small, inbred populations.

Heterozygosity

The presence of different alleles at a gene locus, which contributes to genetic diversity.

Fitness Traits

Characteristics measured in a population that affect survival or reproductive success.

Genetic Purging

The process where deleterious alleles are reduced in frequency in a population due to natural selection.

Quantitative Characters

Traits that can be measured and quantified, often related to fitness metrics.

Rheogaffect Alleles

Rare alleles that may have harmful effects in small populations where they are expressed more frequently.

Atrial Septal Defects

A congenital heart defect seen in Florida panthers, leading to improper blood flow due to a hole in the heart.

Chondrodystrophy

A genetic defect that causes abnormal bone growth, commonly seen in certain bird species.

Mortality Indirectness

Difficulty in determining direct causes of death in populations, often due to environmental factors.

Environmental Stress

Adverse environmental conditions that can exacerbate the effects of inbreeding depression.

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

A basic principle that describes how genetic variation is maintained in a large, randomly mating population.

Introgression

Gene flow between species, often resulting from hybridization, which can complicate conservation efforts.

Heterosis

The phenomenon where hybrid offspring exhibit improved or increased function compared to their parents.

Effective Population Size

The size of a population that determines its genetic diversity and fitness, often smaller than actual population size.