Natural selection
Environment couples selection and heritability
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
In Soay sheep, strong selection on birthweight occurs when heritability is lowest, limiting evolutionary response.
How this study connects
Role on claims
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Maternal genetic variance and selection differentials both depend on environment and covary negatively.
Evidence for the claim as stated.
Study at a glance
- Design
- Cohort — Random-regression animal models of Soay sheep birthweight and neonatal survival across years of varying environmental quality
- N
- N=2630 · 2,630 lambs with known mothers in animal models; birthweights for 2,902 individuals, 1985–2005 (n = 19 years)
- Population
- Soay sheep on Hirta, St. Kilda
- Outcome
- Maternal genetic variance for birthweight rises in good years while directional selection on birthweight falls, limiting predicted evolutionary response
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Inspect source passages
Environment couples selection and heritability
These passages occur verbatim in the stored paper text. They support the points listed below; they do not verify every statement in the explanation.
Soay sheep on Hirta.
Edinburgh, United Kingdom 2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada 3 Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom Kingsolver Joel Academic Editor ].
Birthweight.
Our approach also contrasts with previous empirical investigations of the impact of environmental quality on genetic variances, which have relied on comparison between environments defined as either good or bad [ ].
Key findings
Maternal genetic variance and selection differentials both depend on environment and covary negatively.
Methodology
Used random-regression animal models across years of varying neonatal mortality quality.
Limitations
Observational wild population; unmeasured confounders may remain.
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