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Petrullo L, Delaney D, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Dantzer B. A future food boom rescues the negative effects of early-life adversity on adult lifespan in a small mammal. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232681. [PMID: 38654643 PMCID: PMC11040256 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Early-life adversity, even when transient, can have lasting effects on individual phenotypes and reduce lifespan across species. If these effects can be mitigated by a high-quality later-life environment, then differences in future resources may explain variable resilience to early-life adversity. Using data from over 1000 wild North American red squirrels, we tested the hypothesis that the costs of early-life adversity for adult lifespan could be offset by later-life food abundance. We identified six adversities that reduced juvenile survival in the first year of life, though only one-birth date-had continued independent effects on adult lifespan. We then built a weighted early-life adversity (wELA) index integrating the sum of adversities and their effect sizes. Greater weighted early-life adversity predicted shorter adult lifespans in males and females, but a naturally occurring food boom in the second year of life ameliorated this effect. Experimental food supplementation did not replicate this pattern, despite increasing lifespan, indicating that the buffering effect of a future food boom may hinge on more than an increase in available calories. Our results suggest a non-deterministic role of early-life conditions for later-life phenotype, highlighting the importance of evaluating the consequences of early-life adversity in the context of an animal's entire life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Petrullo
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, 857192, AZ, USA
| | - David Delaney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, 803023, CO, USA
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, 500114, IA, USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2R35, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E. Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, S7N 5A26, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Andrew G. McAdam
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, 500114, IA, USA
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 481097, MI, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 481097, MI, USA
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2
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Walmsley SF, Boutin S, Dantzer B, Lane JE, Coltman DW, McAdam AG. Benefits of living closer to kin vary by genealogical relationship in a territorial mammal. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20221569. [PMID: 36629099 PMCID: PMC9832554 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
While cooperative interactions among kin are a key building block in the societies of group-living species, their importance for species with more variable social environments is unclear. North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) defend individual territories in dynamic neighbourhoods and are known to benefit from living among familiar conspecifics, but not relatives. However, kin-directed behaviours may be restricted to specific genealogical relationships or strongly mediated by geographical distance, masking their influence at broader scales. Using distance between territories as a proxy for the ability of individuals to interact, we estimated the influence of primary kin (parents, offspring, siblings) on the annual survival and reproductive success of red squirrels. This approach revealed associations between fitness and access to kin, but only for certain genealogical relationships and fitness components. For example, females had enhanced annual survival when living closer to their daughters, though the reverse was not true. Most surprising was the finding that males had higher annual reproductive success when living closer to their father, suggesting possible recognition and cooperation among fathers and sons. Together, these findings point to unexpected nuance in the fitness consequences of kinship dynamics for a species that is territorial and largely solitary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam F. Walmsley
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, 1900 Pleasant Street, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 11455 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 500 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 500 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jeffrey E. Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Canada S7N 5E2
| | - David W. Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, 11455 Saskatchewan Drive, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
- Biology Department, Western University, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - Andrew G. McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, 1900 Pleasant Street, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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3
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Petrullo L, Delaney D, Boutin S, McAdam AG, Lane JE, Boonstra R, Palme R, Dantzer B. The glucocorticoid response to environmental change is not specific to agents of natural selection in wild red squirrels. Horm Behav 2022; 146:105262. [PMID: 36191397 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary endocrinology aims to understand how natural selection shapes endocrine systems and the degree to which endocrine systems themselves can induce phenotypic responses to environmental changes. Such responses may be specialized in that they reflect past selection for responsiveness only to those ecological factors that ultimately influence natural selection. Alternatively, endocrine responses may be broad and generalized, allowing organisms to cope with a variety of environmental changes simultaneously. Here, we empirically tested whether the endocrine response of female North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) was specialized or generalized. We first quantified the direction and magnitude of natural selection acting on three female life history traits (parturition date, litter size, offspring postnatal growth rate) during 32 years of fluctuations in four potential ecological agents of selection (food availability, conspecific density, predator abundance, and temperature). Only three of the four variables (food, density, and predators) affected patterns of natural selection on female life history traits. We then quantified fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) across 7 years and found that all four environmental variables, regardless of their effects on patterns of selection, were associated with glucocorticoid production. Our results provide support for a generalized, rather than specific, glucocorticoid response to environmental change that can integrate across multiple co-occurring environmental stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Petrullo
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA.
| | - David Delaney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Rudy Boonstra
- Department of Biological Sciences, Centre for the Neurobiology of Stress, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON M1C 1A6, Canada
| | - Rupert Palme
- Unit of Physiology, Pathophysiology and Experimental Endocrinology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterina ̈rplatz 1, Vienna 1210, Austria
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA
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4
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The socioeconomics of food hoarding in wild squirrels. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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5
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Martinig A, Karst H, Siracusa E, Studd E, McAdam A, Dantzer B, Delaney D, Lane J, Pokharel P, Boutin S. Animal personality: a comparison of standardized assays and focal observations in North American red squirrels. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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6
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Dantzer B, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG. Integrative Studies of the Effects of Mothers on Offspring: An Example from Wild North American Red Squirrels. ADVANCES IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 27:269-296. [PMID: 36169819 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-97762-7_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Animal species vary in whether they provide parental care or the type of care provided, and this variation in parental care among species has been a common focus of comparative studies. However, the proximate causes and ultimate consequences of within-species variation in parental care have been less studied. Most studies about the impacts of within-species variation in parental care on parental fitness have been in primates, whereas studies in laboratory rodents have been invaluable for understanding what causes inter-individual variation in parental care and its influence on offspring characteristics. We integrated both of these perspectives in our long-term study of North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in the Yukon, Canada, where we have focused on understanding the impacts of mothers on offspring. This includes documenting the impacts that mothers or the maternal environment itself has on their offspring, identifying how changes in maternal physiology impact offspring characteristics, the presence of individual variation in maternal attentiveness toward offspring before weaning and its fitness consequences, and postweaning maternal care and its fitness consequences. We provide an overview of these contributions to understanding the impacts mothers have on their offspring in red squirrels using an integrative framework and contrast them with studies in the laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
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7
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Brodie ED, Cook PA, Costello RA, Formica VA. Phenotypic Assortment Changes the Landscape of Selection. J Hered 2021; 113:91-101. [PMID: 34878556 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interactions with conspecifics can dramatically affect an individual's fitness. The positive or negative consequences of interacting with social partners typically depend on the value of traits that they express. These pathways of social selection connect the traits and genes expressed in some individuals to the fitness realized by others, thereby altering the total phenotypic selection on and evolutionary response of traits across the multivariate phenotype. The downstream effects of social selection are mediated by the patterns of phenotypic assortment between focal individuals and their social partners (the interactant covariance, Cij', or the multivariate form, CI). Depending on the sign and magnitude of the interactant covariance, the direction of social selection can be reinforced, reversed, or erased. We report estimates of Cij' from a variety of studies of forked fungus beetles to address the largely unexplored questions of consistency and plasticity of phenotypic assortment in natural populations. We found that phenotypic assortment of male beetles based on body size or horn length was highly variable among subpopulations, but that those differences also were broadly consistent from year to year. At the same time, the strength and direction of Cij' changed quickly in response to experimental changes in resource distribution and social properties of populations. Generally, interactant covariances were more negative in contexts in which the number of social interactions was greater in both field and experimental situations. These results suggest that patterns of phenotypic assortment could be important contributors to variability in multilevel selection through their mediation of social selection gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmund D Brodie
- Mountain Lake Biological Station and Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Phoebe A Cook
- Mountain Lake Biological Station and Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Robin A Costello
- Mountain Lake Biological Station and Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
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8
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McAdam AG, Webber QMR, Dantzer B, Lane JE, Boutin S. Social Effects on Annual Fitness in Red Squirrels. J Hered 2021; 113:69-78. [PMID: 34679173 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
When resources are limited, mean fitness is constrained and competition can cause genes and phenotypes to enhance an individual's own fitness while reducing the fitness of their competitors. Negative social effects on fitness have the potential to constrain adaptation, but the interplay between ecological opportunity and social constraints on adaptation remains poorly studied in nature. Here, we tested for evidence of phenotypic social effects on annual fitness (survival and reproductive success) in a long-term study of wild North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) under conditions of both resource limitation and super-abundant food resources. When resources were limited, populations remained stable or declined, and there were strong negative social effects on annual survival and reproductive success. That is, mean fitness was constrained and individuals had lower fitness when other nearby individuals had higher fitness. In contrast, when food resources were super-abundant, populations grew and social constraints on reproductive success were greatly reduced or eliminated. Unlike reproductive success, social constraints on survival were not significantly reduced when food resources were super-abundant. These findings suggest resource-dependent social constraints on a component of fitness, which have important potential implications for evolution and adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Quinn M R Webber
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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9
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Fisher DN, LeGrice RJ, Painting CJ. Social selection is density dependent but makes little contribution to total selection in New Zealand giraffe weevils. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210696. [PMID: 34074126 PMCID: PMC8170205 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social selection occurs when traits of interaction partners influence an individual's fitness and can alter total selection strength. However, we have little idea of what factors influence social selection's strength. Further, social selection only contributes to overall selection when there is phenotypic assortment, but simultaneous estimates of social selection and phenotypic assortment are rare. Here, we estimated social selection on body size in a wild population of New Zealand giraffe weevils (Lasiorhynchus barbicornis). We measured phenotypic assortment by body size and tested whether social selection varied with sex ratio, density and interacted with the body size of the focal individual. Social selection was limited and unaffected by sex ratio or the size of the focal individual. However, at high densities social selection was negative for both sexes, consistent with size-based competitive interactions for access to mates. Phenotypic assortment was always close to zero, indicating negative social selection at high densities will not impede the evolution of larger body sizes. Despite its predicted importance, social selection may only influence evolutionary change in specific contexts, leaving direct selection to drive evolutionary change.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N. Fisher
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen AB243FX, UK
| | - Rebecca J. LeGrice
- Te Aka Mātuatua School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Christina J. Painting
- Te Aka Mātuatua School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
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10
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Siracusa ER, Boutin S, Dantzer B, Lane JE, Coltman DW, McAdam AG. Familiar Neighbors, but Not Relatives, Enhance Fitness in a Territorial Mammal. Curr Biol 2021; 31:438-445.e3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.10.072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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11
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Dantzer B, McAdam AG, Humphries MM, Lane JE, Boutin S. Decoupling the effects of food and density on life-history plasticity of wild animals using field experiments: Insights from the steward who sits in the shadow of its tail, the North American red squirrel. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:2397-2414. [PMID: 32929740 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Long-term studies of wild animals provide the opportunity to investigate how phenotypic plasticity is used to cope with environmental fluctuations and how the relationships between phenotypes and fitness can be dependent upon the ecological context. Many previous studies have only investigated life-history plasticity in response to changes in temperature, yet wild animals often experience multiple environmental fluctuations simultaneously. This requires field experiments to decouple which ecological factor induces plasticity in fitness-relevant traits to better understand their population-level responses to those environmental fluctuations. For the past 32 years, we have conducted a long-term integrative study of individually marked North American red squirrels Tamiasciurus hudsonicus Erxleben in the Yukon, Canada. We have used multi-year field experiments to examine the physiological and life-history responses of individual red squirrels to fluctuations in food abundance and conspecific density. Our long-term observational study and field experiments show that squirrels can anticipate increases in food availability and density, thereby decoupling the usual pattern where animals respond to, rather than anticipate, an ecological change. As in many other study systems, ecological factors that can induce plasticity (such as food and density) covary. However, our field experiments that manipulate food availability and social cues of density (frequency of territorial vocalizations) indicate that increases in social (acoustic) cues of density in the absence of additional food can induce similar life-history plasticity, as does experimental food supplementation. Changes in the levels of metabolic hormones (glucocorticoids) in response to variation in food and density are one mechanism that seems to induce this adaptive life-history plasticity. Although we have not yet investigated the energetic response of squirrels to elevated density or its association with life-history plasticity, energetics research in red squirrels has overturned several standard pillars of knowledge in physiological ecology. We show how a tractable model species combined with integrative studies can reveal how animals cope with resource fluctuations through life-history plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Murray M Humphries
- Natural Resource Sciences Department, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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12
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Araya‐Ajoy YG, Westneat DF, Wright J. Pathways to social evolution and their evolutionary feedbacks. Evolution 2020; 74:1894-1907. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.14054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2019] [Revised: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Yimen G. Araya‐Ajoy
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of Biology Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Trondheim N‐7491 Norway
| | - David F. Westneat
- Department of Biology, 101 Morgan Building University of Kentucky Lexington KY 40506‐0225 USA
| | - Jonathan Wright
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Department of Biology Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Trondheim N‐7491 Norway
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13
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Bouwhuis S, Ballani F, Bourgeois M, Stoyan D. Colony size affects breeding density, but not spatial distribution type, in a seabird. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The spatial distribution of individuals within populations can result in fine-scale density dependence and affect the social environment that is encountered. As such, it is important to quantify within-population spatial structuring and understand the factors that shape it. In this study, we make use of point process statistics to test whether colony size affects the statistical type of spatial nest distribution produced by common terns (Sterna hirundo) breeding at identical manmade rectangular and homogeneous islands of fixed physical size. Comparing subcolonies of variable density both within and across years, we find that inter-nest distances are smaller at higher local and overall breeding density, but that the spatial distribution type does not vary across the observed densities. This suggests that the birds’ main settlement rules do not depend on density. In our case, analyses of fine-scale density dependence or potential social effects therefore do not need to account for between-individual heterogeneity in settlement decision rules or acceptance of these rules. We urge, however, other studies to similarly test for density dependence of the spatial distribution of individuals before undertaking such “downstream” analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Bouwhuis
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Felix Ballani
- Institute of Stochastics, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Prüferstraße, Freiberg, Germany
| | - Marie Bourgeois
- Institute of Avian Research, An der Vogelwarte, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Dietrich Stoyan
- Institute of Stochastics, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Prüferstraße, Freiberg, Germany
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14
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Westrick SE, Taylor RW, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Dantzer B. Attentive red squirrel mothers have faster growing pups and higher lifetime reproductive success. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02856-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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15
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Hendrix JG, Fisher DN, Martinig AR, Boutin S, Dantzer B, Lane JE, McAdam AG. Territory acquisition mediates the influence of predators and climate on juvenile red squirrel survival. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1408-1418. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 01/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jack G. Hendrix
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's NL Canada
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph ON Canada
| | - David N. Fisher
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph ON Canada
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour McMaster University Hamilton ON Canada
| | | | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton AB Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
| | - Jeffrey E. Lane
- Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon SK Canada
| | - Andrew G. McAdam
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph ON Canada
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16
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Santostefano F, Garant D, Bergeron P, Montiglio P, Réale D. Social selection acts on behavior and body mass but does not contribute to the total selection differential in eastern chipmunks. Evolution 2019; 74:89-102. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Santostefano
- Département des Sciences BiologiquesUniversité du Québec à Montréal Montréal Canada
- Département de Biologie, Faculté des SciencesUniversité de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Québec Canada
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de Biologie, Faculté des SciencesUniversité de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Québec Canada
| | - Patrick Bergeron
- Department of Biological SciencesBishop's University Sherbrooke Québec Canada
| | | | - Denis Réale
- Département des Sciences BiologiquesUniversité du Québec à Montréal Montréal Canada
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17
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Westrick SE, van Kesteren F, Palme R, Boonstra R, Lane JE, Boutin S, McAdam AG, Dantzer B. Stress activity is not predictive of coping style in North American red squirrels. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-019-2728-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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18
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Sehrsweeney M, Wilson DR, Bain M, Boutin S, Lane JE, McAdam AG, Dantzer B. The effects of stress and glucocorticoids on vocalizations: a test in North American red squirrels. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractAcoustic signaling is an important means by which animals communicate both stable and labile characteristics. Although it is widely appreciated that vocalizations can convey information on labile state, such as fear and aggression, fewer studies have experimentally examined the acoustic expression of stress state. The transmission of such public information about physiological state could have broad implications, potentially influencing the behavior and life-history traits of neighbors. North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) produce vocalizations known as rattles that advertise territorial ownership. We examined the influence of changes in physiological stress state on rattle acoustic structure through the application of a stressor (trapping and handling the squirrels) and by provisioning squirrels with exogenous glucocorticoids (GCs). We characterized the acoustic structure of rattles emitted by these squirrels by measuring rattle duration, mean frequency, and entropy. We found evidence that rattles do indeed exhibit a “stress signature.” When squirrels were trapped and handled, they produced rattles that were longer in duration with a higher frequency and increased entropy. However, squirrels that were administered exogenous GCs had similar rattle duration, frequency, and entropy as squirrels that were fed control treatments and unfed squirrels. Our results indicate that short-term stress does affect the acoustic structure of vocalizations, but elevated circulating GC levels do not mediate such changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Sehrsweeney
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - David R Wilson
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, John’s, NL, Canada
| | - Maggie Bain
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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19
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Fisher DN, Wilson AJ, Boutin S, Dantzer B, Lane JE, Coltman DW, Gorrell JC, McAdam AG. Social effects of territorial neighbours on the timing of spring breeding in North American red squirrels. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:559-571. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David N. Fisher
- Department for Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour McMaster University Hamilton Ontario Canada
| | - Alastair J. Wilson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Cornwall UK
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology University of Michigan Ann Arbour Michigan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Michigan Ann Arbour Michigan
| | - Jeffrey E. Lane
- Department of Biology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada
| | - David W. Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta Canada
| | - Jamie C. Gorrell
- Biology Department University of Vancouver Island Nanaimo British Columbia Canada
| | - Andrew G. McAdam
- Department for Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph Ontario Canada
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20
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Fisher DN, Pruitt JN. Opposite responses to selection and where to find them. J Evol Biol 2019; 32:505-518. [PMID: 30807674 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2019] [Accepted: 02/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
We generally expect traits to evolve in the same direction as selection. However, many organisms possess traits that appear to be costly for individuals, while plant and animal breeding experiments reveal that selection may lead to no response or even negative responses to selection. We formalize both of these instances as cases of "opposite responses to selection." Using quantitative genetic models for the response to selection, we outline when opposite responses to selection should be expected. These typically occur when social selection opposes direct selection, when individuals interact with others less related to them than a random member of the population, and if the genetic covariance between direct and indirect effects is negative. We discuss the likelihood of each of these occurring in nature and therefore summarize how frequent opposite responses to selection are likely to be. This links several evolutionary phenomena within a single framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jonathan N Pruitt
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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21
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Fisher DN, Haines JA, Boutin S, Dantzer B, Lane JE, Coltman DW, McAdam AG. Indirect effects on fitness between individuals that have never met via an extended phenotype. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:697-706. [PMID: 30740839 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Interactions between organisms are ubiquitous and have important consequences for phenotypes and fitness. Individuals can even influence those they never meet, if they have extended phenotypes that alter the environments others experience. North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) guard food hoards, an extended phenotype that typically outlives the individual and is usually subsequently acquired by non-relatives. Hoarding by previous owners can, therefore, influence subsequent owners. We found that red squirrels breed earlier and had higher lifetime fitness if the previous hoard owner was a male. This was driven by hoarding behaviour, as males and mid-aged squirrels had the largest hoards, and these effects persisted across owners, such that if the previous owner was male or died in mid-age, subsequent occupants had larger hoards. Individuals can, therefore, influence each other's resource-dependent traits and fitness without ever meeting, such that the past can influence contemporary population dynamics through extended phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- Department for Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.,Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Jessica A Haines
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Department of Biological Sciences, MacEwan University, Edmonton, AB, T5J 4S2, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1043, USA
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - David W Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department for Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
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22
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Wishart AE, Williams CT, McAdam AG, Boutin S, Dantzer B, Humphries MM, Coltman DW, Lane JE. Is biasing offspring sex ratio adaptive? A test of Fisher's principle across multiple generations of a wild mammal in a fluctuating environment. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1251. [PMID: 30464061 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Fisher's principle explains that population sex ratio in sexually reproducing organisms is maintained at 1 : 1 owing to negative frequency-dependent selection, such that individuals of the rare sex realize greater reproductive opportunity than individuals of the more common sex until equilibrium is reached. If biasing offspring sex ratio towards the rare sex is adaptive, individuals that do so should have more grandoffspring. In a wild population of North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) that experiences fluctuations in resource abundance and population density, we show that overall across 26 years, the secondary sex ratio was 1 : 1; however, stretches of years during which adult sex ratio was biased did not yield offspring sex ratios biased towards the rare sex. Females that had litters biased towards the rare sex did not have more grandoffspring. Critically, the adult sex ratio was not temporally autocorrelated across years, thus the population sex ratio experienced by parents was independent of the population sex ratio experienced by their offspring at their primiparity. Expected fitness benefits of biasing offspring sex ratio may be masked or negated by fluctuating environments across years, which limit the predictive value of the current sex ratio.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea E Wishart
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E2
| | - Cory T Williams
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E9
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1043, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1043, USA
| | - Murray M Humphries
- Natural Resource Sciences, MacDonald Campus, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada H9X 3V9
| | - David W Coltman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Jeffrey E Lane
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E2
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23
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Clarke PMR, McElreath MB, Barrett BJ, Mabry KE, McElreath R. The evolution of bequeathal in stable habitats. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:10594-10607. [PMID: 30464831 PMCID: PMC6238137 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2018] [Revised: 08/03/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Adults sometimes disperse, while philopatric offspring inherit the natal site, a pattern known as bequeathal. Despite a decades-old empirical literature, little theoretical work has explored when natural selection may favor bequeathal. We present a simple mathematical model of the evolution of bequeathal in a stable environment, under both global and local dispersal. We find that natural selection favors bequeathal when adults are competitively advantaged over juveniles, baseline mortality is high, the environment is unsaturated, and when juveniles experience high dispersal mortality. However, frequently bequeathal may not evolve, because the fitness cost for the adult is too large relative to inclusive fitness benefits. Additionally, there are many situations for which bequeathal is an ESS, yet cannot invade the population. As bequeathal in real populations appears to be facultative, yet-to-be-modeled factors like timing of birth in the breeding season may strongly influence the patterns seen in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mary Brooke McElreath
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research GroupMax Planck Institute for OrnithologyRadolfzellGermany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and CultureMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Brendan J. Barrett
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research GroupMax Planck Institute for OrnithologyRadolfzellGermany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and CultureMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
| | - Karen E. Mabry
- Department of BiologyNew Mexico State UniversityLas CrucesNew Mexico
| | - Richard McElreath
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCalifornia
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and CultureMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary AnthropologyLeipzigGermany
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24
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Gamelon M, Tufto J, Nilsson ALK, Jerstad K, Røstad OW, Stenseth NC, Saether BE. Environmental drivers of varying selective optima in a small passerine: A multivariate, multiepisodic approach. Evolution 2018; 72:2325-2342. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marlène Gamelon
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics CBD, Department of Biology; Norwegian University of Science and Technology; 7491 Trondheim Norway
| | - Jarle Tufto
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics CBD, Department of Mathematical Sciences; Norwegian University of Science and Technology; 7491 Trondheim Norway
| | - Anna L. K. Nilsson
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis CEES, Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; 0316 Oslo Norway
| | - Kurt Jerstad
- Jerstad Viltforvaltning; Aurebekksveien 61 4516 Mandal Norway
| | - Ole W. Røstad
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management; Norwegian University of Life Sciences; 1432 Ås Norway
| | - Nils C. Stenseth
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics CBD, Department of Biology; Norwegian University of Science and Technology; 7491 Trondheim Norway
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis CEES, Department of Biosciences; University of Oslo; 0316 Oslo Norway
| | - Bernt-Erik Saether
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics CBD, Department of Biology; Norwegian University of Science and Technology; 7491 Trondheim Norway
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25
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Lane JE, McAdam AG, McFarlane SE, Williams CT, Humphries MM, Coltman DW, Gorrell JC, Boutin S. Phenological shifts in North American red squirrels: disentangling the roles of phenotypic plasticity and microevolution. J Evol Biol 2018. [PMID: 29518280 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Phenological shifts are the most widely reported ecological responses to climate change, but the requirements to distinguish their causes (i.e. phenotypic plasticity vs. microevolution) are rarely met. To do so, we analysed almost two decades of parturition data from a wild population of North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Although an observed advance in parturition date during the first decade provided putative support for climate change-driven microevolution, a closer look revealed a more complex pattern. Parturition date was heritable [h2 = 0.14 (0.07-0.21 (HPD interval)] and under phenotypic selection [β = -0.14 ± 0.06 (SE)] across the full study duration. However, the early advance reversed in the second decade. Further, selection did not act on the genetic contribution to variation in parturition date, and observed changes in predicted breeding values did not exceed those expected due to genetic drift. Instead, individuals responded plastically to environmental variation, and high food [white spruce (Picea glauca) seed] production in the first decade appears to have produced a plastic advance. In addition, there was little evidence of climate change affecting the advance, as there was neither a significant influence of spring temperature on parturition date or evidence of a change in spring temperatures across the study duration. Heritable traits not responding to selection in accordance with quantitative genetic predictions have long presented a puzzle to evolutionary ecologists. Our results on red squirrels provide empirical support for one potential solution: phenotypic selection arising from an environmental, as opposed to genetic, covariance between the phenotypic trait and annual fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey E Lane
- Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - S Eryn McFarlane
- Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala Universitet Biologiska Sektionen, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Cory T Williams
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | | | - David W Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jamieson C Gorrell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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26
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Marvel-Coen J. Digest: Finding new homes: Multilevel selection on birth timing and growth in North American red squirrels<sup/>. Evolution 2017. [PMID: 28636097 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James Marvel-Coen
- Department of Comparative Human Development, University of Chicago, Office 103, 1126 E 59th St, Chicago, IL, 60637
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