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The negative effects of inbreeding in wild animals
Podhajecká, Iva ; Hofmanová, Barbora (advisor) ; Vostrý, Luboš (referee)
This bachelor thesis first explains the term of inbreeding itself, it also presents various definitions and patterns of inbreeding, that allow to determine the degree of inbreeding in an individual. Then it describes ways, in which inbreeding impacts population allele frequency and other effects influencing populations (e.g. Bottle-neck Effect, Founder Effect or Genetic Drift). Inbreeding is undesireable in nature, because it leads to inbreeding depression. That manifests itself by decreasing individuals fitness, which then has a substantial impact on populations dynamics. Main part of the thesis is then focused on wild populations of birds and mammals. The degree of inbreeding is most commonly assessed by pedigree analysis. That is a highly demanding method, as it requires a longterm population observation in the field and, in many cases, also tissue collection for genetic analysis. The last step is represented by thorough statistical analysis, allowing to determine kinship in population as precisely as possible. Based on pedigree, we can calculate coefficient of inbreeding 'F', which then allows us to determine the extent of inbreeding depression. The last part of the thesis describes effects of inbreeding on offspring fitness, reproductive success and immunity in avian and mammal populations. As each of the populations has different specifics, the base characteristics of a particular population are described first and then the impacts of inbreeding on individual fitness indicators are presented. As opposed to populations living in captivity, wild populations are adversely affected by other factors, mainly environmental, that can deepen inbreeding depression. Studies dealing with these issues are therefore extremely important, as their findings can be applied into improving of management and conservation of endangered species.
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