Heterozygosity-fitness correlations revealed by neutral and candidate gene markers in roe deer from a long-term study

The heterozygosity-fitness correlations (HFCs) in a population of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) are monitored intensively to assess the relationship between juvenile survival, a reliable proxy for individual fitness among studied roe deer population and genetic diversity. The results from both neutral and candidate gene markers suggested that the observed HFCs are likely due to linkage with dominant or overdominant loci that affect fitness rather than to a genome-wide relationship with homozygosity due to inbreeding.