Heritability of head size in the common gull Larus canus in relation to environmental conditions during offspring growth

Larsson, Kjell; Rattiste, Kalev; LILLELEHT, VILJU

doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6881890

Cited by 22 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…For 0ϩ offspring, higher heritability estimates were obtained in tributary streams than in the main river. Such a pattern, whereby high quality habitat is associated with higher heritability, has been previously supported for many traits in birds (Larsson et al 1997;Merilä 1997;Qvarnströ m 1999) and mammals (Réale et al 1999). Three nonexclusive causes may account for such differences (Falconer 1989): (1) a lower additive variance (V A ) under poorer environmental conditions;…”

Section: Variation Of Heritability As a Function Of Habitat And Male mentioning

confidence: 60%

Differential Reproductive Success and Heritability of Alternative Reproductive Tactics in Wild Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar L.)

2003

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A critical step in understanding the evolution and maintenance of alternative reproductive tactics is to obtain accurate comparisons of their fitness and to determine factors influencing individual status. In this study, we first used individual multilocus genotypic information to compare reproductive success between two alternative reproductive tactics of anadromous Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in their natural environments. We also documented the effects of the quality of the rearing environment and of paternal reproductive tactics on heritability of juvenile growth, which is an important component of individual status. Results showed that large dominant salmon (multisea winter) had higher reproductive success than smaller satellite individuals (grilse). Also, there was a status difference associated with both habitat and male tactic. Overall, offspring produced in streams were bigger than those produced in the main river stretch. Grilse also produced bigger offspring than those fathered by multisea winter males. Heritability of juvenile growth was significant but varied according to quality of habitat: higher heritability estimates were observed in higher quality habitats (streams) than in lower quality habitats (main river stretch). Heritability estimates for juvenile growth varied as well, depending on male tactic, with progeny fathered by multisea winter males having higher values than those fathered by grilse. Together, these results indicate that a combination of additive genetic effects, parental life history and habitat quality will ultimately shape juvenile growth rate, which is the main determinant of status and of subsequent choice of life-history tactics.

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Section: Variation Of Heritability As a Function Of Habitat And Male mentioning

confidence: 60%

Differential Reproductive Success and Heritability of Alternative Reproductive Tactics in Wild Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar L.)

2003

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“…The reduction in similarity during naturally occurring poor conditions was most evident when taking age at recruitment into account; similarity decreased with increasing age at recruitment. Although several recent studies of birds have shown that heritability estimates tend to be higher during favorable conditions (reviewed in Larsson et al 1997;Merila 1997;but see Boag 1983), this is the first study to suggest that this may also be true for a sexually selected plumage trait.…”

Section: Control Enlargedmentioning

confidence: 72%

Genotype-by-Environment Interactions in the Determination of the Size of a Secondary Sexual Character in the Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis)

Qvarnström¹

1999

Evolution

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Although genetic variation in characters closely related to fitness is expected to either become depleted by selection or masked by environmental variation, "good gene" models of sexual selection require moderate to high heritabilities of secondary sexual characters to explain the occurrence of costly female mate preferences. In this study, I investigated whether the estimated heritability of a condition-dependent secondary sexual character (i.e., the white forehead badge) in the collared flycatcher varied depending on environmental conditions experienced during offspring growth. The data were collected over a period of 14 years making it possible to exploit natural variation in natal conditions. In addition, natal conditions were experimentally altered through brood size manipulations, During unfavorable conditions caused by generally poor weather or experimentally enlarged brood size, no significant heritability based on father-sons regressions could be demonstrated (0.19 :S h 2 :S 0.27). In contrast, sons reared during years with favorable weather or in experimentally reduced broods significantly resembled their fathers (0.44 :S h 2 :S 0.65). In addition, the heritability estimates declined with increasing maternal age. The strong effect of natal environmental condition on the estimated heritability of forehead badge size suggests that the potential genetic benefit from mate choice vary according to environmental conditions (e.g., the benefit is reduced during unfavorable rearing conditions). Because sons reared during poor conditions have probably experienced a natal environment different from that experienced by their fathers, the low heritability estimates obtained under poor conditions seem to be caused by low additive genetic variation expressed in such environments and/or a low genetic correlation between the expression of the trait in the two different environments (i.e., good vs. bad). Both of these explanations imply the presence of genotype-by-environment interactions. If such interactions frequently affect the expression of secondary sexual characters, this may offer an explanation of the high heritabilites sometimes reported for such traits, despite their exposure to long-term directional selection.

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“…The 'quality' of the annual environment can be described with respect to the focal trait. For example, Larsson et al (1997) explored G!E in the head length of the common gulls, and defined the quality of the annual environment according to the year-specific head growth of the offspring. Alternatively, a measure of population productivity can be used to describe the environment (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of BLUPs in a two-step approach ignores the uncertainity involved in generating BLUPs, and using such BLUPs in an animal model falsifies the assumption of independence across individuals needed to generate them in the first place. An RRAM has been used to study G!E in the wild (Wilson et al 2005(Wilson et al , 2006, and is a commonly used method in animal breeding (Lynch & Walsh 1998;Schaeffer 2004;Meyer & Kirkpatrick 2005). In the absence of pedigree information, this framework can also be used if one is interested in modelling phenotypic plasticity (I!E) only (equation (2.1), a random regression phenotypic model, Nussey et al (2007)).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although each individual is a unique genotype, I!E in itself cannot be interpreted equivalent to genotype-environment interaction (G!E), because any environmental effects experienced by an individual during its life will be fully confounded with the effects of its genes. Such individual-specific environmental effects are termed permanent environmental effects in quantitative genetics (Lynch & Walsh 1998). Importantly, longitudinal individual-based data allow studying the consequences of plasticity for an individual's fitness, and the causes of plasticity can be studied under natural environmental conditions (Brommer et al 2003;Nussey et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring plasticity in the wild: laying date–temperature reaction norms in the common gull Larus canus

2008

Self Cite

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Exploration of causal components of plasticity is important for insight into evolutionary dynamics and an organism's ability to respond to climate change. Among individuals, variation in plasticity can be due to genotype-environment interaction (G!E) or a result from environmental effects associated with an individual. We investigated plasticity for laying date in the common gulls Larus canus, using data collected in Estonia during 37 years (nZ11 624 records on 2262 females, with 472 relatives). We used a sliding window approach to find the period in spring during which mean temperature best explained the annual mean laying date. Then, considering the spring temperature as a quantitative description of the environment, we used pedigree information and a random regression animal model to determine the variation in plasticity for the laying date-temperature relationship. We found that individuals differ in the plasticity of laying date (such that there is increased variation among individuals for the laying date in warmer springs), and that approximately 11% of variation in the laying date is heritable, but we found no statistical support for G!E. Plasticity in this species is not constrained by warmer springs.

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Heritability of head size in the common gull Larus canus in relation to environmental conditions during offspring growth

Cited by 22 publications

References 22 publications

Differential Reproductive Success and Heritability of Alternative Reproductive Tactics in Wild Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar L.)

Differential Reproductive Success and Heritability of Alternative Reproductive Tactics in Wild Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar L.)

Genotype-by-Environment Interactions in the Determination of the Size of a Secondary Sexual Character in the Collared Flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis)

Exploring plasticity in the wild: laying date–temperature reaction norms in the common gull Larus canus

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