Genetic load and inbreeding assessment in caribou

We assessed intra-specific genetic variation, adaptive divergence, inbreeding, and genetic load across populations with different demographic histories using an annotated chromosome-scale reference genome and whole genome sequences. We found high genetic diversity and nine phylogenomic lineages across the continent with adaptive diversification of genes, but also high genetic load among lineages. We also found highly divergent levels of inbreeding across individuals including the loss of alleles by drift (genetic erosion) but not purging, likely due to rapid population declines not allowing time for purging of deleterious alleles.