Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid
Published on: August 8, 2017
Testing for genetic trade-offs between early- and late-life reproduction in a wild red deer population
Daniel H Nussey1, Alastair J Wilson, Alison Morris
1Large Animal Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK. dan.nussey@ed.ac.uk
Abstract:
The antagonistic pleiotropy (AP) theory of ageing predicts genetically based trade-offs between investment in reproduction in early life and survival and performance in later life. Laboratory-based research has shown that such genetic trade-offs exist, but little is currently known about their prevalence in natural populations. We used random regression 'animal model' techniques to test the genetic basis of trade-offs between early-life fecundity (ELF) and maternal performance in late life in a wild population of red deer (Cervus elaphus) on the Isle of Rum, Scotland. Significant genetic variation for both ageing rates in a key maternal performance measure (offspring birth weight) and ELF was present in this population. We found some evidence for a negative genetic covariance between the rate of ageing in offspring birth weight and ELF, and also for a negative environmental covariance. Our results suggest rare support for the AP theory of ageing from a wild population.
More Related Videos
06:38Determination of Reproductive Competence by Confirming Pubertal Onset and Performing a Fertility Assay in Mice and Rats
Published on: October 13, 2018
10:08Genetic Mapping of Thermotolerance Differences Between Species of Saccharomyces Yeast via Genome-Wide Reciprocal Hemizygosity Analysis
Published on: August 12, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Limits to Natural Selection
Conservation of Small Populations
Genetic Drift
What is Population Genetics?
Hardy-Weinberg Principle
Testing a Claim about Mean: Known Population SD
Estimating a population mean requires the samples to be distributed normally. The data should be collected from the randomly selected samples having no sampling bias. The sample size needed to be higher than 30, and most importantly, the population standard deviation should be already known.
In most realistic situations, the population standard deviation is often unknown, but in rare circumstances, when it...