Indirect Genetic Effects And The Evolution Of Aggression In A Vertebrate System

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Genetics
Article Date: 08 Oct 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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Evolutionary studies often begin by attempting to disentangle the effects of an individual's genes from those of the environment it experiences.

This is because variation due to genetic differences among individuals determines how a trait will respond to selection. We looked at measures of aggression in mice and found that while an individual's behaviour is influenced by its genes, it is also influenced by the genes of the mouse it encounters.

These "indirect genetic effects" blur the traditional separation of genetic and environmental influences and have enormous implications for the evolution of social traits like aggression.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

Proceedings B is the Royal Society's flagship biological research journal, dedicated to the rapid publication and broad dissemination of high-quality research papers, reviews and comment and reply papers. The scope of journal is diverse and is especially strong in organismal biology.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences