PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Brook T. Moyers
AU  - Peter L. Morrell
AU  - John K. McKay
TI  - Genetic costs of domestication and improvement
AID  - 10.1101/122093
DP  - 2017 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 122093
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/03/29/122093.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/03/29/122093.full
AB  - The ‘cost of domestication’ hypothesis posits that the process of domesticating wild species increases genetic load by increasing the number, frequency, and/or proportion of deleterious genetic variants in domesticated genomes. This cost may limit the efficacy of selection and thus reduce genetic gains in breeding programs for these species. Understanding when and how genetic load evolves can also provide insight into fundamental questions about the interplay of demographic and evolutionary dynamics. Here we describe the evolutionary forces that may contribute to genetic load during domestication and improvement, and review the available evidence for ‘the cost of domestication’ in animal and plant genomes. We identify gaps and explore opportunities in this emerging field, and finally offer suggestions for researchers and breeders interested in addressing genetic load in domesticated species.