Persistent directional selection on body size and a resolution to the paradox of stasis.
Directional selection on size is common but often fails to result in microevolution in the wild. Similarly, macroevolutionary rates in size are low relative to the observed strength of selection in nature. We show that many estimates of selection on size have been measured on juveniles, not adults. Further, parents influence juvenile size by adjusting investment per offspring. In light of these observations, we help resolve this paradox by suggesting that the observed upward selection on size is balanced by selection against investment per offspring, resulting in little or no net selection gradient on size. We find that trade-offs between fecundity and juvenile size are common, consistent with the notion of selection against investment per offspring. We also find that median directional selection on size is positive for juveniles but no net directional selection exists for adult size. This is expected because parent-offspring conflict exists over size, and juvenile size is more strongly affected by investment per offspring than adult size. These findings provide qualitative support for the hypothesis that upward selection on size is balanced by selection against investment per offspring, where parent-offspring conflict over size is embodied in the opposing signs of the two selection gradients.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks St. Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B2, Canada. njal.rollinson@gmail.com.
Njal
N
Rollinson
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks St. Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B2, Canada.
Locke
L
Rowe
D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D049628:Body Size / Q000235:genetics*; D005298:Fertility; D010641:Phenotype; D012641:Selection, Genetic
Life history; microevolution; offspring size; parent-offspring conflict; trade-off