The more, the merrier. Your mates count for adaptive potential. New preprint:
‘Indirect genetic effects increase the heritable variation available to selection and are largest for behaviours: a #metaanalysis’
📜 https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.17.594196
💻 data & code: https://github.com/ASanchez-Tojar/meta-analysis_IGEs
Our #systematicreview identified 47 papers (k = 180 estimates) across 21 species (🐷🐔🐟🐮🐦🪲🦐🦗🪰🐭🐰) and found that, on average, indirect genetic effects, though small, matter.
📜 https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.17.594196
💻 data & code: https://github.com/ASanchez-Tojar/meta-analysis_IGEs
Indirect genetic effects were largest for behavioural traits. Plus, they also seem particularly large for (1) reproductive traits, (2) females, and (3) wild studies (but mind the small sample sizes!)
📜 https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.17.594196
💻 data & code: https://github.com/ASanchez-Tojar/meta-analysis_IGEs
As you may have expected, indirect genetic effects were (much) smaller than direct genetic effects.
No shit Sherlock! 🕵️🔎 BUT... see the next post.
📜 https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.17.594196
💻 data & code: https://github.com/ASanchez-Tojar/meta-analysis_IGEs
Though small, indirect genetic effects affect the trait values of each interacting group member and, due to a typically positive correlation with DGEs, they led to a:
wait for it...
66% increase in trait heritability! That ain't no joke.
Our #metaanalysis, which only took us 5 years to complete😅 (like a good old wine!), shows that:
Indirect genetic effects seem to speed up evolution rather than slow it down as often assumed.
Thank you to all those who provided feedback along the way, and a special thank you to all (equal) co-authors for all the learnings along the way 🙏
📜 https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.05.17.594196
💻 data & code: https://github.com/ASanchez-Tojar/meta-analysis_IGEs
Alfredo Sánchez-Tójar