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Comparative Quantitative Genetics of the Pelvis in Four-Species of Rodents and the Conservation of Genetic Covariance and Correlation Structure

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Abstract

Quantitative genetics is a powerful tool for predicting phenotypic evolution on a microevolutionary scale. This predictive power primarily comes from the Lande equation (Δz̅ = Gβ), a multivariate expansion of the breeder’s equation, where phenotypic change (Δz̅) is predicted from the genetic covariances (G) and selection (β). Typically restricted to generational change, evolutionary biologists have proposed that quantitative genetics could bridge micro- and macroevolutionary patterns if predictions were expanded to longer timescales. While mathematically possible, making quantitative genetic predictions across generations or species is contentiously debated, principally in assuming long-term stability of the G-matrix. Here we tested stability at a macroevolutionary timescale by conducting full- and half-sib breeding programs in two species of sigmodontine rodents from South America, the leaf-eared mice Phyllotis vaccarum and P. darwini and estimated the G-matrices for eight pelvic traits. To expand our phylogenetic breadth, we incorporated two additional G-matrices measured for the same traits from Kohn & Atchley’s 1988 study of the murine rodents Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus. Using a phylogenetic comparative framework and four separate metrics of matrix divergence or similarity, we found no significant association between evolutionary divergence among species G-matrices and time, supporting the assumption of stability for at least some structures. However, the phylogenetic sample size is necessarily small. We suggest that small fluctuations in covariance structure can occur rapidly, but underlying developmental regulation prevents significant divergence at macroevolutionary scales, analogous to an Ornstein–Uhlenbeck pattern. Expanded taxonomic sampling will be needed to test this suggestion.

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Data Availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information files).

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Statistical code available by request.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by US National Science Foundation Grants DEB-0108422 and DEB-1754748 to SJS. We are deeply grateful to the staff of the Mammal Division at the Field Museum of Natural History, especially Bill Stanley and Bruce Patterson for the preparation of the voucher specimens used in this study, and to Juan Oyarce, for his technical assistance in capturing and caring for the animals. To David Houle for the time spent providing invaluable advice throughout this study, particularly in G-matrix estimation and statistical comparisons. Chris Klingenberg, Mihaela Pavlicev, and two anonymous reviewers provided helpful feedback on the manuscript.

Funding

US National Science Foundation Grants DEB 0108422 and DEB-1754748 to Scott Steppan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4295, USA

    Carl J. Saltzberg, Lee E. Chipps-Walton, Bárbara M. A. Costa & Scott J. Steppan

  2. Laboratorio de Citogenética Evolutiva, Programa de Genética Humana, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, 70061, Santiago, Chile

    Laura I. Walker & Ángel E. Spotorno

  3. Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Bárbara M. A. Costa

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  1. Carl J. Saltzberg
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  2. Laura I. Walker
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  3. Lee E. Chipps-Walton
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  4. Bárbara M. A. Costa
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  5. Ángel E. Spotorno
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  6. Scott J. Steppan
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Contributions

LIW, AES and SJS conceived the study. SJS acquired funding. LIW and AES managed the breeding colonies. LEC-W and CJS collected data. CJS and BMC performed analyses. CJS wrote the manuscript. LIW, BMC, and SJS edited and contributed revisions.

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Correspondence to Carl J. Saltzberg.

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Saltzberg, C.J., Walker, L.I., Chipps-Walton, L.E. et al. Comparative Quantitative Genetics of the Pelvis in Four-Species of Rodents and the Conservation of Genetic Covariance and Correlation Structure. Evol Biol 49, 71–83 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-022-09559-z

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