Effects of genomic homozygosity on total fitness in an invertebrate: lethal equivalent estimates for Drosophila melanogaster

Estimates of susceptibility to inbreeding depression for total fitness are needed predicting the cost and use in population viability analyses, but no such valid estimates available any wild invertebrate population. I estimated number lethals equivalents recently wild-caught populations Drosophila melanogaster using published data on homozygosity versus heterozygosity each major chromosomes (the X, second, third) under competitive conditions. As there effects small fourth chromosome which represents 1.0% euchromatic genome, this was accounted by attributing three large an coefficient 0.99 when computing lethal fitness. Total genomic is predicted be essentially D. melanogaster. The corresponding haploid estimate 5.04. equivalent value lies within range vertebrates tends higher than most outbreeding plants often purged as they exhibit up 20% selfing (by definition). has its genome sequenced annotated individual well it provides excellent opportunity evaluating mutation load.