The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) has become a paradigm for how selection can
act to maintain adaptively important genetic diversity in natural populations. Here, we review …

The relationship between fitness and parental similarity has been dominated by studies of
how inbreeding depression lowers fecundity in incestuous matings. A widespread implicit …

Dispersal is often presented as a mechanism to avoid competition among relatives and
inbreeding depression. However, the formal analysis of the effects of both these factors on …

Populations of social mammals are characterized by several demographic features that may
increase the magnitude of genetic drift relative to other evolutionary forces. In particular …

Measurement of reproductive skew in social groups is fundamental to understanding the
evolution and maintenance of sociality, as it determines the immediate fitness benefits to …

In order to understand why animals are social and how group members interact with each
other it is important to know their relatedness. However, few studies have investigated the …

Abstract Background Merino and Merino-derived sheep breeds have been widely
distributed across the world, both as purebred and admixed populations. They represent an …

Allelic variation at seven hypervariable tri‐and tetranucleotide microsatellite loci was used to
determine levels of population differentiation between 14 populations of red grouse …

Throughout history humans have been fascinated with incest. Stories, fables, literature,
philosophers, church officials, and scientists have explored this mysterious topic. The taboo …

Constantine Slobodchikoff and colleagues synthesize the results of their long-running study
of Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni), one of the keystone species of the short …