Different proxies, different stories? Imperfect correlations and different determinants of fitness in bighorn sheep.

Autor: Van de Walle J; Biology Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts USA., Larue B; Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Québec Canada., Pigeon G; Institut de recherche sur les forêts Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue Rouyn-Noranda Québec Canada., Pelletier F; Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Québec Canada.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology and evolution [Ecol Evol] 2022 Dec 08; Vol. 12 (12), pp. e9582. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Dec 08 (Print Publication: 2022).
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9582
Abstrakt: Measuring individual fitness empirically is required to assess selective pressures and predicts evolutionary changes in nature. There is, however, little consensus on how fitness should be empirically estimated. As fitness proxies vary in their underlying assumptions, their relative sensitivity to individual, environmental, and demographic factors may also vary. Here, using a long-term study, we aimed at identifying the determinants of individual fitness in bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis ) using seven fitness proxies. Specifically, we compared four-lifetime fitness proxies: lifetime breeding success, lifetime reproductive success, individual growth rate, individual contribution to population growth, and three multi-generational proxies: number of granddaughters, individual descendance in the next generation, and relative genetic contribution to the next generation. We found that all proxies were positively correlated, but the magnitude of the correlations varied substantially. Longevity was the main determinant of most fitness proxies. Individual fitness calculated over more than one generation was also affected by population density and growth rate. Because they are affected by contrasting factors, our study suggests that different fitness proxies should not be used interchangeably as they may convey different information about selective pressures and lead to divergent evolutionary predictions. Uncovering the mechanisms underlying variation in individual fitness and improving our ability to predict evolutionary change might require the use of several, rather than one, the proxy of individual fitness.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
(© 2022 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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