Data and code from: Quantitative analyses of stochastic influences on the response to phenotypic selection in a small passerine, the collared flycatcher
Data files
May 31, 2025 version files 11.73 MB
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code-supplement.rmd
108.08 KB
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figure-data.rda
11 MB
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Gotland_CF_new.csv
611.40 KB
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N_data.csv
258 B
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README.md
5.54 KB
Abstract
Stochastic influences arising from demographic and environmental stochasticity strongly affect eco-evolutionary dynamics. Demographic stochasticity causes reduction in the long-run population growth rates at small population sizes and generates genetic drift. The effects of stochastic environmental fluctuations on fitness are more difficult to assess because it may introduce stochasticity in the selection processes. Here, we examined stochastic variation in the response to selection on three breeding parameters in a collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) population using density-dependent and frequency-dependent environmental covariances among individuals with different phenotypes. Environmental fluctuations induced considerable variation among individual fitness dependent on their phenotype and population size. These stochastic effects on fitness were strongest for individuals with large clutches or few fledglings, and in years with few conspecifics. Contrastingly, we found no evidence that the stochastic environmental effects on individual fitness varied with laying date. Furthermore, we found that phenotype-specific effects of environmental fluctuations were less correlated for fledgling number than for laying date and clutch size, resulting in less correlation in fitness between pairs with similar fledgling numbers. Our analyses showed that the stochastic component in the response to selection on clutch size and laying date caused by environmental stochasticity at the carrying capacity was of the same order as the component due to genetic drift. This means that stochasticity can affect phenotypic evolution even in large populations via stochastic selection generated by environmental fluctuations.
Data and code from: Quantitative analyses of stochastic influences on the response to phenotypic selection in a small passerine, the collared flycatcher
Authors
- Stefan J.G. Vriend, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, s.vriend@nioo.knaw.nl, ORCID: 0000-0002-9006-5988
- Vidar Grøtan, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, vidar.grotan@ntnu.no, ORCID: 0000-0003-1222-0724
- Steinar Engen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, steinar.engen@ntnu.no
- Lars Gustafsson, Uppsala University, lars.gustafsson@ebc.uu.se, ORCID: 0000-0001-6566-2863
- Bernt-Erik Sæther, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, bernt-erik.sather@ntnu.no, ORCID: 0000-0002-0049-9767
Description
Data originate from an isolated population of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) that breeds in nestboxes in the southern parts of Gotland, Sweden (57º 10’ N, 18º 20’ E), which has been monitored since 1980. The nestboxes were located in several study plots, which occurred in deciduous woodlands dominated by oak (Quercus robur), ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and an understory of hazel (Corylus avellana), except for one, which occurred in a pine-dominated forest (Pinus sylvestris). Data used in the analysis are from 1986 to 2010, when nestbox monitoring was consistent. The general procedure of data collection involved frequent visits of all nestboxes during the breeding season to record laying date (date of the first egg, where 1 = April 1st), clutch size (maximum number of eggs), and fledgling number (number of nestlings 15-18 days after hatching, i.e., numbers alive pre-fledgling). When nests were not visited on the day the first egg was laid, laying date was calculated assuming one egg laid per day. Adults were caught during incubation or nestling provisioning. All individuals were marked with a uniquely numbered leg ring when first captured, which are anonymised in the data enclosed here.
Associated data
This dataset is an extended version of https://doi.org/10.1086/711752.
File description
Gotland_CF_new.csv: a comma-delimited file with collared flycatcher breeding data (1980-2016), in which each row corresponds to a unique brood
(i.e., breeding female per year). Missing values are marked as NA. The dataset contains the following variables:
| column | description |
|---|---|
id |
unique brood identifier (integer) |
year |
year of breeding (integer) |
area |
abbreviated name of study plot (character) |
lay.date |
laying date of the first egg in April days (where the 1st of April is 1) (integer) |
clutch.size |
number of eggs (integer) |
fledge.new |
number of nestlings 15-18 days after hatching(integer) |
recruit..new.2017. |
number of recruits of both sexes entering the breeding population in any future breeding season (integer) |
ringf |
anonymised female id (character) |
survf.Data.2014 |
survival of breeding female to next breeding season (binary) |
Male.recruit |
number of male recruits entering the breeding population in any future breeding season (integer) |
Female.recruit |
number of male recruits entering the breeding population in any future breeding season (integer) |
Young.Mean.Tarsus. |
mean tarsus length of nestlings 13 days after hatching (numeric) |
N_data.csv: a comma-delimited file with yearly breeding females (1986-2010). The dataset contains the following variables:
| column | description |
|---|---|
Year |
year of breeding (integer) |
N |
total number of breeding females per year. This number also includes broods that were experimentally manipulated (integer) |
figure_data.rda: an R data file that contains the minimum R objects needed to reproduce the figures and tables (main text and supplements) of the publication.
code-supplement.rmd: an R Markdown that contains the theoretical framework, and annotated code to run the models, analysis, and create figure and table outputs.