Can number and size of offspring increase simultaneously? - a central life-history trade-off reconsidered
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To maximize their fitness, parents are assumed to allocate their resources optimally between number and size of offspring. Although this fundamental life-history trade-off has been subject to long standing interest, its genetic basis...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2012-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Evolutionary Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/12/44 |
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| author | Schroderus Eero Koivula Minna Koskela Esa Mappes Tapio Oksanen Tuula A Poikonen Tanja |
| author_facet | Schroderus Eero Koivula Minna Koskela Esa Mappes Tapio Oksanen Tuula A Poikonen Tanja |
| author_sort | Schroderus Eero |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To maximize their fitness, parents are assumed to allocate their resources optimally between number and size of offspring. Although this fundamental life-history trade-off has been subject to long standing interest, its genetic basis, especially in wild mammals, still remains unresolved. One important reason for this problem is that a large multigenerational pedigree is required to conduct a reliable analysis of this trade-off.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used the REML-animal model to estimate genetic parameters for litter size and individual birth size for a common Palearctic small mammal, the bank vole (<it>Myodes glareolus</it>). Even though a phenotypic trade-off between offspring number and size was evident, it was not explained by a genetic trade-off, but rather by negative correlations in permanent and temporary environmental effects. In fact, even positive genetic correlations were estimated between direct genetic effects for offspring number and size indicating that genetic variation in these two traits is not necessarily antagonistic in mammals.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results have notable implications for the study of the life-history trade-off between offspring number and size in mammals. The estimated genetic correlations suggest that evolution of offspring number and size in polytocous mammals is not constrained by the trade-off caused by antagonistic selection responses <it>per se</it>, but rather by the opposing correlative selection responses in direct and maternal genetic effects for birth size.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T20:46:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cd20b458024545fdb1b22faabd82e14e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2148 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T20:46:41Z |
| publishDate | 2012-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Evolutionary Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-cd20b458024545fdb1b22faabd82e14e2022-12-21T20:06:13ZengBMCBMC Evolutionary Biology1471-21482012-03-011214410.1186/1471-2148-12-44Can number and size of offspring increase simultaneously? - a central life-history trade-off reconsideredSchroderus EeroKoivula MinnaKoskela EsaMappes TapioOksanen Tuula APoikonen Tanja<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To maximize their fitness, parents are assumed to allocate their resources optimally between number and size of offspring. Although this fundamental life-history trade-off has been subject to long standing interest, its genetic basis, especially in wild mammals, still remains unresolved. One important reason for this problem is that a large multigenerational pedigree is required to conduct a reliable analysis of this trade-off.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We used the REML-animal model to estimate genetic parameters for litter size and individual birth size for a common Palearctic small mammal, the bank vole (<it>Myodes glareolus</it>). Even though a phenotypic trade-off between offspring number and size was evident, it was not explained by a genetic trade-off, but rather by negative correlations in permanent and temporary environmental effects. In fact, even positive genetic correlations were estimated between direct genetic effects for offspring number and size indicating that genetic variation in these two traits is not necessarily antagonistic in mammals.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results have notable implications for the study of the life-history trade-off between offspring number and size in mammals. The estimated genetic correlations suggest that evolution of offspring number and size in polytocous mammals is not constrained by the trade-off caused by antagonistic selection responses <it>per se</it>, but rather by the opposing correlative selection responses in direct and maternal genetic effects for birth size.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/12/44<it>Myodes glareolus</it>Litter sizeBirth sizeGenetic correlationHeritability |
| spellingShingle | Schroderus Eero Koivula Minna Koskela Esa Mappes Tapio Oksanen Tuula A Poikonen Tanja Can number and size of offspring increase simultaneously? - a central life-history trade-off reconsidered BMC Evolutionary Biology <it>Myodes glareolus</it> Litter size Birth size Genetic correlation Heritability |
| title | Can number and size of offspring increase simultaneously? - a central life-history trade-off reconsidered |
| title_full | Can number and size of offspring increase simultaneously? - a central life-history trade-off reconsidered |
| title_fullStr | Can number and size of offspring increase simultaneously? - a central life-history trade-off reconsidered |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can number and size of offspring increase simultaneously? - a central life-history trade-off reconsidered |
| title_short | Can number and size of offspring increase simultaneously? - a central life-history trade-off reconsidered |
| title_sort | can number and size of offspring increase simultaneously a central life history trade off reconsidered |
| topic | <it>Myodes glareolus</it> Litter size Birth size Genetic correlation Heritability |
| url | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/12/44 |
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