On Deleterious Mutations in Perennials: Inbreeding Depression, Mutation Load, and Life-History Evolution

In angiosperms, perennials typically present much higher levels of inbreeding depression than annuals. One hypothesis to explain this pattern stems from the observation that inbreeding depression is expressed across multiple life stages in angiosperms. It posits that increased inbreeding depression in more long-lived species could be explained by differences in the way mutations affect fitness, through the life stages at which they are expressed. In this study, we investigate this hypothesis. We combine a physiological growth model and multilocus population genetics approaches to describe a full genotype-to-phenotype-to-fitness map. We study the behavior of mutations affecting growth or survival and explore their consequences in terms of inbreeding depression and mutation load. Although our results agree with empirical data only within a narrow range of conditions, we argue that they may point us toward the type of traits capable of generating high inbreeding depression in long-lived species-that is, traits under sufficiently strong selection, on which selection decreases sharply as life expectancy increases. Then we study the role deleterious mutations maintained at mutation-selection balance may play in the joint evolution of growth and survival strategies.

Automated summary

This study investigates the higher levels of inbreeding depression in perennials compared to annuals in angiosperms. By combining a physiological growth model and multilocus population genetics approaches, the researchers explore the impact of mutations affecting growth or survival on inbreeding depression and mutation load. The study suggests that traits under strong selection, decreasing sharply with increasing life expectancy, may be responsible for generating high inbreeding depression in long-lived species.