Effects of Interference Between Selected Loci on the Mutation Load, Inbreeding Depression, and Heterosis

A classical prediction from single-locus models is that inbreeding increases the efficiency of selection against partially recessive deleterious alleles (purging), thereby decreasing the mutation load and level of inbreeding depression. However, previous multilocus simulation studies found that increasing the rate of self-fertilization of individuals may not lead to purging and argued that selective interference among loci causes this effect. In this article, I derive simple analytical approximations for the mutation load and inbreeding depression, taking into account the effects of interference between pairs of loci. I consider two classical scenarios of nonrandomly mating populations: a single population undergoing partial selfing and a subdivided population with limited dispersal. In the first case, correlations in homozygosity between loci tend to reduce mean fitness and increase inbreeding depression. These effects are stronger when deleterious alleles are more recessive, but only weakly depend on the strength of selection against deleterious alleles and on recombination rates. In subdivided populations, interference increases inbreeding depression within demes, but decreases heterosis between demes. Comparisons with multilocus, individual-based simulations show that these analytical approximations are accurate as long as the effects of interference stay moderate, but fail for high deleterious mutation rates and low dominance coefficients of deleterious alleles.