Genetic, natal and spatial drivers of social phenotypes in wild great tits.

ABSTRACT: In social animals, group dynamics profoundly influence collective behaviours, vital in processes like information sharing and predator vigilance. Disentangling the causes of individual-level variation in social behaviours is crucial for understanding the evolution of sociality. This requires the estimation of the genetic and environmental basis of these behaviours, which is challenging in uncontrolled wild populations. In this study, we partitioned genetic, developmental and spatial environmental variation in repeatable social network traits derived from foraging events. We used a multi-generational pedigree and social data for 1823 individuals with over 800,000 observations from a long-term monitored great tit population. Animal models indicated minimal narrow-sense heritability (2%-3%) i

SUBMITTER: Satarkar D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11794972 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature