Premium
Malformed offspring, sibling matings, and selection against inbreeding in the sand lizard ( Lacerta agilis )
Author(s) -
Olsson M.,
Gullberg A.,
Tegelström H.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1420-9101.1996.9020229.x
Subject(s) - biology , hatchling , offspring , juvenile , zoology , lizard , biological dispersal , population , inbreeding , mating , sibling , natural population growth , natural selection , ecology , hatching , demography , genetics , pregnancy , psychology , developmental psychology , sociology
We demonstrated that sand lizards ( Lacerta agilis ) are more likely to have malformed offspring when they mate with siblings. Offspring with malformations, such as deformed limbs and heads, have zero survival in a natural population. Normal‐looking siblings of malformed hatchlings also had a reduced survival in the wild, compared to offspring from clutches in which all siblings appeared normal. The proportion of malformed hatchlings in the natural population was ca. 10%, in spite of differences in juvenile dispersal between males and females. Male juveniles disperse significantly further from their natal sites than do female juveniles.