Abstract
We studied patterns of growth in a recently established natural population of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) to examine whether phenotypic and genetic covariation among age-specific trait values is likely to constrain morphological change favoured by selection acting on adults. We found variable patterns of allometric relationships during ontogeny, and documented relatively weak covariations among ages or among traits in individual growth trajectories. Frequent compensatory growth largely cancelled out the initial differences among nestlings, potentially enabling house finches to raise offspring under diverse and unpredictable environmental conditions. Moderate levels of additive genetic variance in morphological traits throughout ontogeny, and relatively low and fluctuating phenotypic and genetic covariation among ages imply strong potential for evolutionary change in morphological traits tinder selection. This conclusion is consistent with the profound population-level divergence in morphological patterns that accompanied very successful colonization of most of North America by the house finch over the last 50 years.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 290-301 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal of Evolutionary Biology |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2000 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Developmental constraints
- Genetic covariance
- Growth trajectories
- House finch
- Phenotypic covariation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Genetics
- Palaeontology
- Ecology
Cite this
Individual variation in growth trajectories : Phenotypic and genetic correlations in ontogeny of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). / Badyaev, Alexander; Martin, T. E.
In: Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Vol. 13, No. 2, 03.2000, p. 290-301.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Individual variation in growth trajectories
T2 - Phenotypic and genetic correlations in ontogeny of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)
AU - Badyaev, Alexander
AU - Martin, T. E.
PY - 2000/3
Y1 - 2000/3
N2 - We studied patterns of growth in a recently established natural population of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) to examine whether phenotypic and genetic covariation among age-specific trait values is likely to constrain morphological change favoured by selection acting on adults. We found variable patterns of allometric relationships during ontogeny, and documented relatively weak covariations among ages or among traits in individual growth trajectories. Frequent compensatory growth largely cancelled out the initial differences among nestlings, potentially enabling house finches to raise offspring under diverse and unpredictable environmental conditions. Moderate levels of additive genetic variance in morphological traits throughout ontogeny, and relatively low and fluctuating phenotypic and genetic covariation among ages imply strong potential for evolutionary change in morphological traits tinder selection. This conclusion is consistent with the profound population-level divergence in morphological patterns that accompanied very successful colonization of most of North America by the house finch over the last 50 years.
AB - We studied patterns of growth in a recently established natural population of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) to examine whether phenotypic and genetic covariation among age-specific trait values is likely to constrain morphological change favoured by selection acting on adults. We found variable patterns of allometric relationships during ontogeny, and documented relatively weak covariations among ages or among traits in individual growth trajectories. Frequent compensatory growth largely cancelled out the initial differences among nestlings, potentially enabling house finches to raise offspring under diverse and unpredictable environmental conditions. Moderate levels of additive genetic variance in morphological traits throughout ontogeny, and relatively low and fluctuating phenotypic and genetic covariation among ages imply strong potential for evolutionary change in morphological traits tinder selection. This conclusion is consistent with the profound population-level divergence in morphological patterns that accompanied very successful colonization of most of North America by the house finch over the last 50 years.
KW - Developmental constraints
KW - Genetic covariance
KW - Growth trajectories
KW - House finch
KW - Phenotypic covariation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033994604&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0033994604&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1046/j.1420-9101.2000.00172.x
DO - 10.1046/j.1420-9101.2000.00172.x
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0033994604
VL - 13
SP - 290
EP - 301
JO - Journal of Evolutionary Biology
JF - Journal of Evolutionary Biology
SN - 1010-061X
IS - 2
ER -