RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Social effects of territorial neighbours on the timing of spring breeding in North American red squirrels
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 329276
DO 10.1101/329276
A1 David N. Fisher
A1 Alastair J. Wilson
A1 Stan Boutin
A1 Ben Dantzer
A1 Jeffrey E. Lane
A1 David W. Coltman
A1 Jamie C. Gorrell
A1 Andrew G. McAdam
YR 2018
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/10/12/329276.abstract
AB Organisms can affect one another’s phenotypes when they socially interact. Indirect genetic effects occur when an individual’s phenotype is affected by genes expressed in another individual. These heritable effects can enhance or reduce adaptive potential, thereby accelerating or reversing evolutionary change. Quantifying these social effects is therefore crucial for our understanding of evolution, yet estimates of indirect genetic effects in wild animals are limited to dyadic interactions. We estimated indirect phenotypic and genetic effects, and their covariance with direct effects, for the date of spring breeding in North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) living in an array of territories of varying spatial proximity. Additionally, we estimated variance parameters and the strength of selection at low and high population densities. Social effects of neighbours on the date of spring breeding were weak at low, but stronger at high population densities. Indirect phenotypic effects accounted for a larger amount of variation in the date of breeding than direct differences among-individuals, although the genetic component to these indirect effects was not statistically significant. Nevertheless, the estimated effect size was large enough to suggest that indirect genetic effects could alter evolutionary change, resulting in less change at high densities despite stronger selection. Despite the difficulty in estimating them precisely, indirect genetic effects have clear potential to alter evolutionary trajectories in any natural systems where organisms interact.