Because evolution by natural selection depends on fitness differences between individuals having a genetic basis, evolutionary biologists are interested in measuring the relative importance of genetic versus environmental effects in shaping phenotypes. Interestingly, when individuals live in groups or participate in behaviors that require a social interaction, the distinction between genes and environments becomes difficult because the social environment is (at least in part) determined by the genes of its members. Consequently, the genes that influence an individual’s traits are not limited to his own genes (direct genetic effects) but can include the genes of individuals in his social environment (indirect genetic effects). I am interested in understanding the role of indirect genetic effects on the evolution of life history traits and social behaviors.
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To understand how a trait may be expected to evolve, we need to first understand how (or if) our trait of interest is connected to an individual’s fitness. Fitness is measured by an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce, but the relative importance of survival vs. reproduction to fitness is variable within and across species. In my first thesis project, I have shown that survival explains the vast majority of fitness in this population, and that, contrary to expectations, we do not observe a trade-off between survival and reproduction; instead high quality individuals are able to maintain both high rates of reproduction and live long lives.
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