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Related Experiment Videos

Environmental quality and evolutionary potential: lessons from wild populations.

Anne Charmantier1, Dany Garant

  • 1Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK. anne.charmantier@zoology.oxford.ac.uk

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|July 14, 2005
PubMed
Summary

Genetic variation in wild animals is higher in favorable environments, especially for physical traits. This finding, based on a meta-analysis, contrasts with lab studies and highlights the importance of environmental context in evolutionary predictions.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Quantitative genetics
  • Ecology

Background:

  • Understanding genetic variability is crucial for predicting evolutionary potential.
  • Environmental conditions can influence the expression of genetic and environmental components of phenotypic variation.
  • Recent advances in quantitative genetics have enabled studies in wild populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To meta-analyze recent studies comparing heritability in favorable versus unfavorable conditions in wild animals.
  • To investigate how environmental quality affects the expression of genetic variation for different traits.
  • To reconcile findings from wild populations with existing laboratory-based models.

Main Methods:

  • Conducted a meta-analysis of recent studies on non-domestic, non-laboratory animals.

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  • Compared heritability estimates between favorable and unfavorable environmental conditions.
  • Analyzed effects on morphometric traits and fitness-related traits.

    • Main Results:

    • Heritability is significantly higher in favorable environmental conditions.
    • This increase in heritability was significant for morphometric traits but not for fitness-related traits.
    • Results contrast with findings from laboratory experiments, particularly in Drosophila.

    Conclusions:

    • Environmental conditions play a critical role in modulating heritability in wild populations.
    • Changes in variance components underlie the observed trends in heritability.
    • Future models of quantitative trait evolution must incorporate environmental variation.