Richard > There is no question that inbreeding can lead to loss of vigor, even to the point where reproduction fails entirely or disease issues become unmanageable.  Someday we may get smart enough to understand why this happens.  In the meantime it is 100% clear it is not due to loss of allelic diversity.


In this study, the authors intentionally set out to cause a genetic bottleneck via inbreeding and then calculated the allele diversity. The allele diversity was diminished but not to a degree where there was a severe negitive effect on the colony. These were stingless bees and the queens are single mated, which may even be a more extreme case versus honey bees. 

My question, is the loss of allele diversity and a genetic bottleneck the same thing?




> We show that despite a great
reduction in the number of alleles present at both neutral
microsatellite loci and the sex-determining locus relative to
its natural source population, and an increased frequency
in the production of sterile diploid males, the genetically
impoverished population could be successfully bred and
maintained for at least 10 years.

>Successful maintenance of a stingless bee population despite
a severe genetic bottleneck

>Denise Araujo Alves et al.

https://lirias.kuleuven.be/bitstream/123456789/301276/1/alves_etal_consgenet_2010.pdf



Bill Hesbach
Cheshire CT

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