Journal article
Inbreeding and its genetic and evolutionary consequences in red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.)
Discover Genetics and Evolution, Vol.72, pp.1-15
2026
Abstract
Managing inbreeding and effective population sizes in closed nucleus populations, such as red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.), is crucial to preserve genetic diversity and enhance selection response. This study aimed to assess these parameters (inbreeding, effective population sizes, and genetic diversity) in a red tilapia population undergoing selection for increased harvest body weight since 2016. The breeding program involved 75,950 individuals descended from 1200 dams and 600 sires. Traits including body weight, length, body colour, and survival were monitored from stocking to harvest. Our analysis employed different methods to estimate inbreeding and effective population size. Our results indicate that the pedigree-based inbreeding was effectively managed, stabilizing at an average rate of only 0.65% over eight generations. Effective population size (Ne), assessed through inbreeding rates between successive generations, ranged from 35 to 275, averaging 145 when evaluated via average coancestry. Genetic diversity based on the effective number of founders and ancestors in the population remained robust, with only about 3% loss in genetic diversity relative to the base population. These findings suggest that the current population will continue to respond to selection. Nonetheless, advanced technologies (e.g., using genotype and genomic mate allocation) are necessary to simultaneously improve genetic traits and control inbreeding in future genetic enhancement programs for this species.
Details
- Title
- Inbreeding and its genetic and evolutionary consequences in red tilapia (Oreochromis spp.)
- Authors
- Nguyen Hong Nguyen (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine CoastTran Huu Phuc - Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2 (Vietnam)Nguyen Thi Dang - Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2 (Vietnam)Pham Dang Khoa - Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2 (Vietnam)Huynh Thi Bich Lien - Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2 (Vietnam)Vo Thi Hong Tham - Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2 (Vietnam)Nguyen Huynh Duy - Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2 (Vietnam)Nguyen Trung Ky - Research Institute for Aquaculture No. 2 (Vietnam)Tran Thi Mai Huong - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Publication details
- Discover Genetics and Evolution, Vol.72, pp.1-15
- Publisher
- Springer
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00294-026-01337-0
- ISSN
- 3091-3217
- Copyright note
- This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Data Availability
- Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under licence for the current study and so are not publicly available. The data are, however, available upon request and with the permission of the international research and industry partners.
- Grant note
- This project was funded by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991246279302621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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