Quantitative genetics

Artificial intelligence

Mutation Accumulation

Selection (genetic algorithm)

Population genetics

Extinction (optical mineralogy)

Physics

Population

Inbreeding

Genetic variation

Evolutionary biology

Biology

Gene

Gene flow

Astrophysics

Demography

Computer science

Natural selection

Variation (astronomy)

Sociology

Inbreeding depression

Paleontology

Effective population size

Genetics

Mutation rate

Annual Review of Animal Biosciences

Deleterious mutations decrease reproductive fitness and are ubiquitous in genomes. Given that many organisms face ongoing threats of extinction, there is interest in elucidating the impact of deleterious variation on extinction risk and optimizing management strategies accounting for such mutations. Quantifying deleterious variation and understanding the effects of population history on deleterious variation are complex endeavors because we do not know the strength of selection acting on each mutation. Further, the effect of demographic history on deleterious mutations depends on the strength of selection against the mutation and the degree of dominance. Here we clarify how deleterious variation can be quantified and studied in natural populations. We then discuss how different demographic factors, such as small population size, nonequilibrium population size changes, inbreeding, and gene flow, affect deleterious variation. Lastly, we provide guidance on studying deleterious variation in nonmodel populations of conservation concern.

Deleterious Variation in Natural Populations and Implications for Conservation Genetics