The study of quantitative genetics in wild populations

Kruuk, Loeske E. B.; Charmantier, Anne; Garant, Dany

doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199674237.003.0001

Cited by 20 publications

(27 citation statements)

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“…Strong selection on timing reproduction to coincide with peak caterpillar abundance has also made the great tit an important model species for the study of the phenology of trophic interactions [71]. High breeding density, short dispersal distance and short generation time all mean that the causes of phenotypic variation in the species have been studied intensively and, for example, heritability has been estimated for more traits in the great tit than for any other wild animal species [72]. While traditionally most of these studies have used parent -offspring regression or brood manipulation to separate environmental and genetic causes of variation, these approaches are increasingly being replaced by the animal model [41], a statistical tool that uses pedigree data to estimate the different components of variation underlying a given trait in a population more effectively and without interfering with natural processes [72].…”

Section: (A) the Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High breeding density, short dispersal distance and short generation time all mean that the causes of phenotypic variation in the species have been studied intensively and, for example, heritability has been estimated for more traits in the great tit than for any other wild animal species [72]. While traditionally most of these studies have used parent -offspring regression or brood manipulation to separate environmental and genetic causes of variation, these approaches are increasingly being replaced by the animal model [41], a statistical tool that uses pedigree data to estimate the different components of variation underlying a given trait in a population more effectively and without interfering with natural processes [72]. In addition to additive genetic effects, maternal effects, and both natal and breeding environmental effects ( particularly proxies for habitat quality such as local oak tree density and local population density) explain substantial variation in many traits [44,73 -76].…”

Section: (A) the Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental and genetic determinants of innovativeness in a natural population of birds

Quinn

Cole

Reed

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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One contribution of 15 to a theme issue 'Innovation in animals and humans: understanding the origins and development of novel and creative behaviour'. Much of the evidence for the idea that individuals differ in their propensity to innovate and solve new problems has come from studies on captive primates. Increasingly, behavioural ecologists are studying innovativeness in wild populations, and uncovering links with functional behaviour and fitnessrelated traits. The relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in driving this variation, however, remains unknown. Here, we present the results of the first large-scale study to examine a range of causal factors underlying innovative problem-solving performance (PSP) among 831 great tits (Parus major) temporarily taken into captivity. Analyses show that PSP in this population: (i) was linked to a variety of individual factors, including age, personality and natal origin (immigrant or local-born); (ii) was influenced by natal environment, because individuals had a lower PSP when born in poor-quality habitat, or where local population density was high, leading to cohort effects. Links with many of the individual and environmental factors were present only in some years. In addition, PSP (iii) had little or no measurable heritability, as estimated by a Bayesian animal model; and (iv) was not influenced by maternal effects. Despite previous reports of links between PSP and a range of functional traits in this population, the analyses here suggest that innovativeness had weak if any evolutionary potential. Instead most individual variation was caused by phenotypic plasticity driven by links with other behavioural traits and by environmentally mediated developmental stress. Heritability estimates are population, time and context specific, however, and more studies are needed to determine the generality of these effects. Our results shed light on the causes of innovativeness within populations, and add to the debate on the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in driving phenotypic variation within populations.

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Section: (A) the Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (A) the Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and genetic determinants of innovativeness in a natural population of birds

Quinn

Cole

Reed

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Quantifying genetic contributions to population‐wide variation in life‐history traits is fundamental to predicting evolutionary responses to selection (Réale et al . ; Charmantier & Garant ; Kruuk, Charmantier & Garant ). However, partitioning variance in life‐history traits in wild populations remains challenging, despite advances in data quality and analytical methods (Kruuk, Charmantier & Garant ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and indirect genetic and fine‐scale location effects on breeding date in song sparrows

Germain

Wolak

Arcese

et al. 2016

Journal of Animal Ecology

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Quantifying direct and indirect genetic effects of interacting females and males on variation in jointly expressed life-history traits is central to predicting microevolutionary dynamics. However, accurately estimating sex-specific additive genetic variances in such traits remains difficult in wild populations, especially if related individuals inhabit similar fine-scale environments. Breeding date is a key life-history trait that responds to environmental phenology and mediates individual and population responses to environmental change. However, no studies have estimated female (direct) and male (indirect) additive genetic and inbreeding effects on breeding date, and estimated the cross-sex genetic correlation, while simultaneously accounting for fine-scale environmental effects of breeding locations, impeding prediction of microevolutionary dynamics. We fitted animal models to 38 years of song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) phenology and pedigree data to estimate sex-specific additive genetic variances in breeding date, and the cross-sex genetic correlation, thereby estimating the total additive genetic variance while simultaneously estimating sex-specific inbreeding depression. We further fitted three forms of spatial animal model to explicitly estimate variance in breeding date attributable to breeding location, overlap among breeding locations and spatial autocorrelation. We thereby quantified fine-scale location variances in breeding date and quantified the degree to which estimating such variances affected the estimated additive genetic variances. The non-spatial animal model estimated nonzero female and male additive genetic variances in breeding date (sex-specific heritabilities: 0·07 and 0·02, respectively) and a strong, positive cross-sex genetic correlation (0·99), creating substantial total additive genetic variance (0·18). Breeding date varied with female, but not male inbreeding coefficient, revealing direct, but not indirect, inbreeding depression. All three spatial animal models estimated small location variance in breeding date, but because relatedness and breeding location were virtually uncorrelated, modelling location variance did not alter the estimated additive genetic variances. Our results show that sex-specific additive genetic effects on breeding date can be strongly positively correlated, which would affect any predicted rates of microevolutionary change in response to sexually antagonistic or congruent selection. Further, we show that inbreeding effects on breeding date can also be sex specific and that genetic effects can exceed phenotypic variation stemming from fine-scale location-based variation within a wild population.

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“…; Kruuk et al. ). Statistical methods that adequately quantify uncertainty should then be used to draw appropriate inference, and thereby facilitate interpretation and subsequent meta‐analyses (Garcia‐Gonzalez et al.…”

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confidence: 98%

“…Therefore, understanding and predicting overall evolutionary dynamics not only requires estimation of V A in fitness and underlying fitness components in both sexes, and associated cross‐sex and within‐sex r A s (Ellegren and Sheldon ; Kirkpatrick ; Kruuk et al. , ; Shaw and Shaw ; Walling et al. ), but also requires explicit estimation of multiple genetic effects resulting from immigration (Ingvarsson and Whitlock ; Lenormand ; Tallmon et al.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex‐specific additive genetic variances and correlations for fitness in a song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) population subject to natural immigration and inbreeding

Wolak¹,

Arcese

Keller

et al. 2018

Evolution

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Quantifying sex-specific additive genetic variance (V ) in fitness, and the cross-sex genetic correlation (r ), is prerequisite to predicting evolutionary dynamics and the magnitude of sexual conflict. Further, quantifying V and r in underlying fitness components, and genetic consequences of immigration and resulting gene flow, is required to identify mechanisms that maintain V in fitness. However, these key parameters have rarely been estimated in wild populations experiencing natural environmental variation and immigration. We used comprehensive pedigree and life-history data from song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) to estimate V and r in sex-specific fitness and underlying fitness components, and to estimate additive genetic effects of immigrants alongside inbreeding depression. We found evidence of substantial V in female and male fitness, with a moderate positive cross-sex r . There was also substantial V in male but not female adult reproductive success, and moderate V in juvenile survival but not adult annual survival. Immigrants introduced alleles with negative additive genetic effects on local fitness, potentially reducing population mean fitness through migration load, but alleviating expression of inbreeding depression. Our results show that V for fitness can be maintained in the wild, and be broadly concordant between the sexes despite marked sex-specific V in reproductive success.

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The study of quantitative genetics in wild populations

Cited by 20 publications

References 67 publications

Environmental and genetic determinants of innovativeness in a natural population of birds

Environmental and genetic determinants of innovativeness in a natural population of birds

Direct and indirect genetic and fine‐scale location effects on breeding date in song sparrows

Sex‐specific additive genetic variances and correlations for fitness in a song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) population subject to natural immigration and inbreeding

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