Cooperative interactions within the family enhance the capacity for evolutionary change in body size

Jarrett, Benjamin J. M.; Schrader, Matthew; Rebar, Darren; Houslay, Thomas M.; Kilner, Rebecca M.

doi:10.1038/s41559-017-0178

Cited by 49 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…We have previously shown that the heritability of burying beetle body size is not significantly different from zero (Jarrett et al. ). Instead, variation in larval mass at dispersal is better explained by the density of larvae on the carcass (Schrader et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Superior stimulation of female fecundity by subordinate males provides a mechanism for telegony

Pascoal

Jarrett

Evans³

et al. 2018

Evolution Letters

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When females mate promiscuously, rival males compete to fertilise the ova. In theory, a male can increase his success at siring offspring by inducing the female to lay more eggs, as well as by producing more competitive sperm. Here we report that the evolutionary consequences of fecundity stimulation extend beyond rival males, by experimentally uncovering effects on offspring. With experiments on the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides, we show that smaller subordinate males are better able to stimulate female fecundity than larger, dominant males. Furthermore dominant males also benefit from the greater fecundity induced by smaller males, and so gain from the female's earlier promiscuity ‐ just as predicted by theory. By inducing females to produce more offspring on a limited resource, smaller males cause each larva to be smaller, even those they do not sire themselves. Fecundity stimulation thus promotes the non‐genetic inheritance of offspring body size, and provides a mechanism for telegony.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Superior stimulation of female fecundity by subordinate males provides a mechanism for telegony

Pascoal

Jarrett

Evans³

et al. 2018

Evolution Letters

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“…Experiments by Jarrett et al. () examined the impact of the social environment on the evolution of average body size in experimental N. vespilloides populations. It may be possible to use a similar approach to study canalization or decanalization in body size by exerting family level selection on CV body size .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…; Jarrett et al. ). By this time parents have finished preparing the carcass and completed egg laying; however, the eggs have not yet hatched (Boncoraglio and Kilner ; Schrader et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The sexes were combined in these calculations because there is no sexual dimorphism in body size in this species (Jarrett et al. ). Because there was a significant difference between the two treatments in mean body size (see Results below), we focused further analyses on the coefficient of variation of body size (CV body size ) within each brood.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parental care and sibling competition independently increase phenotypic variation among burying beetle siblings

2018

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Several recent hypotheses suggest that parental care can influence the extent of phenotypic variation within populations; however, there have been few tests of these ideas. We exploited the facultative nature of posthatching parental care in the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides, to test whether parental care influences the expression of phenotypic variation in an important fitness trait (body size). We found that parental care and brood size (which influences sibling competition) had positive and independent effects on variation in body size. First, the mean coefficient of variation (CV) of body size was significantly greater in broods that received care than in those that did not. Second, CV body size increased with brood size in both parental care treatments. These results are not consistent with predictions from recent hypotheses that predict parental care will reduce phenotypic variation among siblings. The positive effects of parental care and brood size on phenotypic variation that we observed are likely due to sibling competition for access to provisioning parents and competition for limiting resources contained in the breeding carcass. Our results suggest that future theory linking parental care to the generation and maintenance of phenotypic variation must integrate the nature of interactions among family members.

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“…For example, in the burying beetle N. vespilloides , experimental evolution under different regimes of parental provisioning to offspring (donation) affected the heritability and response to selection of larval body size, indicating that genes in the social environment exert strong effects on both expression and evolution of a key fitness trait (Jarrett et al. ). These effects are mediated through resource donation and begging phenotypes (Jarret et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social runaway: Fisherian elaboration (or reduction) of socially selected traits via indirect genetic effects

Bailey

2019

Evolution

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Our understanding of the evolutionary stability of socially selected traits is dominated by sexual selection models originating with R. A. Fisher, in which genetic covariance arising through assortative mating can trigger exponential, runaway trait evolution. To examine whether nonreproductive, socially selected traits experience similar dynamics—social runaway—when assortative mating does not automatically generate a covariance, we modeled the evolution of socially selected badge and donation phenotypes incorporating indirect genetic effects (IGEs) arising from the social environment. We establish a social runaway criterion based on the interaction coefficient, ψ, which describes social effects on badge and donation traits. Our models make several predictions. (1) IGEs can drive the original evolution of altruistic interactions that depend on receiver badges. (2) Donation traits are more likely to be susceptible to IGEs than badge traits. (3) Runaway dynamics in nonsexual, social contexts can occur in the absence of a genetic covariance. (4) Traits elaborated by social runaway are more likely to involve reciprocal, but nonsymmetrical, social plasticity. Models incorporating plasticity to the social environment via IGEs illustrate conditions favoring social runaway, describe a mechanism underlying the origins of costly traits, such as altruism, and support a fundamental role for phenotypic plasticity in rapid social evolution.

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Cooperative interactions within the family enhance the capacity for evolutionary change in body size

Cited by 49 publications

References 44 publications

Superior stimulation of female fecundity by subordinate males provides a mechanism for telegony

Superior stimulation of female fecundity by subordinate males provides a mechanism for telegony

Parental care and sibling competition independently increase phenotypic variation among burying beetle siblings

Social runaway: Fisherian elaboration (or reduction) of socially selected traits via indirect genetic effects

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