Fluctuating optimum and temporally variable selection on breeding date in birds and mammals.

ABSTRACT: Temporal variation in natural selection is predicted to strongly impact the evolution and demography of natural populations, with consequences for the rate of adaptation, evolution of plasticity, and extinction risk. Most of the theory underlying these predictions assumes a moving optimum phenotype, with predictions expressed in terms of the temporal variance and autocorrelation of this optimum. However, empirical studies seldom estimate patterns of fluctuations of an optimum phenotype, precluding further progress in connecting theory with observations. To bridge this gap, we assess the evidence for temporal variation in selection on breeding date by modeling a fitness function with a fluctuating optimum, across 39 populations of 21 wild animals, one of the largest compilations of long-ter

SUBMITTER: de Villemereuil P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7116484 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature