Heritability of cognitive performance in wild Western Australian magpies
Data files
Feb 27, 2024 version files 9.36 KB
Abstract
Individual differences in cognitive performance can have genetic, social and environmental components. Most research on the heritability of cognitive traits comes from humans or captive non-human animals, whilst less attention has been given to wild populations. Western Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen dorsalis, hereafter magpies) show phenotypic variation in cognitive performance, which affects reproductive success. Despite high levels of individual repeatability, we do not know whether cognitive performance is heritable in this species. Here, we quantify broad-sense heritability of associative learning ability in a wild population of Western Australian magpies. Specifically, we explore whether offspring associative learning performance is predicted by maternal associative learning performance, or by the social environment (group size) when tested at three time points during the first year of life. We found no significant relationship between maternal and offspring associative learning performance, with an estimated broad-sense heritability of just -0.004 ± 0.024 (CI: -0.050/0.044). However, complementing previous findings, we find that at 300 days post-fledging, individuals raised in larger groups passed the test in fewer trials compared to individuals from small groups. Our results highlight the pivotal influence of the social environment on cognitive development.
README: Heritability of cognitive performance in wild Western Australian magpies
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.7d7wm382b
Dataset contains the R script, data files (.csv) for all analyses and the supplementary material.
Description of the data and file structure
Each data file is labelled according to the testing period (100 for 100 days post-fledging, 200 for 200 days post-fledging etc). Data files (.csv) labelled 100 full, 200 full and 300 full contain the full data set and these were used for initial exploratory analyses (presented in the supplementary material). Data files (.csv) labelled 100, 200 and 300 contain the data subset for which maternal scores were available and these were used for GLMMs in the main text. Data files (.csv) labelled Regression100, Regression200 and Regression300 were used for broad-sense heritability estimates. This dataset contains a mid-offspring value per female (obtained by averaging offspring scores where multiple scores were obtained from the same mother).
Abbreviations in data files include:
- id=individual identity
- grp=group identity
- year=year tested (1 = 2020 and 2 = 2021)
- mass=body mass (grams)
- fe=foraging efficiency (amount of biomass caught in grams per minute foraging)
- grp size=group size at time of testing
- no.fl=number of fledglings in the group (<1 year old)
- shade=shade of rewarded well
- score=associative learning score
- neo=neophobia (time taken (seconds) to approach test apparatus from 1m away)
- order=order tested in group
- temp=average ambient temperature at time of testing (°C)
- mother=name of mother
- mother score=mothers associative learning score
Code/Software
Custom R code used for analysis can be accessed here and is labelled "Heritability".