A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

A statistical methodology for estimating assortative mating for phenotypic traits that are labile or measured with error



Authors: Barbara Class, Niels J. Dingemanse, Yimen G. Araya-Ajoy, Jon E. Brommer

Publisher: British Ecological Society

Publication year: 2017

Journal: Methods in Ecology and Evolution

Journal name in source: Methods in Ecology and Evolution

Volume: 8

Issue: 12

First page : 1910

Last page: 1919

Number of pages: 10

ISSN: 2041-210X

eISSN: 2041-210X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.12837

Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/27478131


Abstract
  1. Assortative
    mating in wild populations is commonly reported as the correlation
    between males’ and females’ phenotypes across mated pairs. Theories of
    partner selection and quantitative genetics assume that phenotypic
    resemblance of partners captures associations in “intrinsically
    determined” trait values. However, when considering traits with a
    repeatability below one (labile traits or traits measured with error),
    the correlation between phenotypes of paired individuals can arise from
    shared environmental effects on the phenotypes of paired individuals or
    correlated measurement error.
  2. We introduce statistical
    approaches to estimate assortative mating in labile traits or traits
    measured with error in the presence of shared environmental effects.
    These approaches include (1) the correlation between the mean phenotypes
    of males and females, (2) the correlation between randomized values of
    individuals and (3) the between-pair correlation derived from a
    bivariate mixed model.
  3. We use simulations to show that the
    performance of these different approaches depends on the number of
    repeated measures within individuals or pairs, which is determined by
    study design, and rates of survival and divorce.
  4. We conclude
    that short-term environmental effects on phenotypes of paired
    individuals likely inflate estimates of assortative mating when not
    statistically accounted for. Our approach allows investigation of this
    important issue in assortative mating studies for labile traits (e.g.
    behaviour, physiology, or metabolism) in both socially monogamous and
    other mating systems, and groupings of individuals outside a mating
    context.

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Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 20:28