Social selection is density dependent but makes little contribution to total selection in New Zealand giraffe weevils.

ABSTRACT: Social selection occurs when traits of interaction partners influence an individual's fitness and can alter total selection strength. However, we have little idea of what factors influence social selection's strength. Further, social selection only contributes to overall selection when there is phenotypic assortment, but simultaneous estimates of social selection and phenotypic assortment are rare. Here, we estimated social selection on body size in a wild population of New Zealand giraffe weevils (Lasiorhynchus barbicornis). We measured phenotypic assortment by body size and tested whether social selection varied with sex ratio, density and interacted with the body size of the focal individual. Social selection was limited and unaffected by sex ratio or the size of the focal indivi

SUBMITTER: Fisher DN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8170205 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature