Fitness decline under osmotic stress inCaenorhabditis eleganspopulations subjected to spontaneous mutation accumulation at varying population sizes

• DOI: 10.1111/evo.13463
• Publication Date: 2018-03-07T15:49:35Z
• Authors: Vaishali Katju; Lucille B. Packard; Peter D. Keightley
• Keywords: Genetic Fitness; Genetic load; Osmotic shock; Mutation Accumulation; Small population size

The consequences of mutations for population fitness depends on their individual selection coefficients and the effective size. An earlier study Caenorhabditis elegans spontaneous mutation accumulation lines evolved 409 generations at three sizes found that Ne = 1 populations declined significantly in whereas larger (Ne 5, 50) was indistinguishable from ancestral control under benign conditions. To test if MA harbor a load cryptic deleterious are obscured laboratory conditions, we measured osmotic stress via exposure to hypersaline exhibited further decline compared However, remained control. average effects were estimated be 22% productivity 14% survivorship, exceeding values previously detected Our results suggest is due large effect rapidly removed even small populations, with implications conservation practices. Genetic stochasticity may not as potent immediate threat persistence other demographic environmental stochastic factors.