Mutation load depending on variance in reproductive success and mating system
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 27, 2026

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
Published on: August 22, 2013
Abstract:
Equalization of reproductive success of individuals, although it results in an increase of effective population size, leads also to an increase of the mutation load. The magnitude of this increase depends highly on the mode of fitness interactions between deleterious mutations, and is higher in the case of inbreeding. Recommended practices in conservation genetics must be evaluated in regards to these differing consequences of an increase of effective population size. To keep a balance between retaining genetic variability and minimizing the increase of the mutation load, equalization of reproductive success of a set of individuals rather than of every individual might be more advantageous.
Related Concept Videos
Mismatch Repair
Mate Choice
Hardy-Weinberg Principle
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift
Mismatch Repair
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...

