Data from: Low genetic variance in the duration of the incubation period in a collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis) population

The avian incubation period is associated with high energetic costs and mortality risks suggesting that there should be strong selection to reduce the duration to the minimum required for normal offspring development. Although there is much variation in the duration of the incubation period across species, there is also variation within species. Estimating to what extent this variation is genetically determined is needed if we want to predict the evolutionary potential of this trait. Here we use a long-term study of collared flycatchers to examine the genetic basis of variation in incubation duration. We demonstrate limited genetic variance as reflected in the low and non-significant additive genetic variance with a corresponding heritability of 0.04 and coefficient of additive genetic variance of 2.16. Any selection acting on incubation duration will therefore be inefficient. To our knowledge this is the first time heritability of incubation duration has been estimated in a natural bird population.

鸟类孵化期与高昂的能量消耗及死亡风险密切相关，这提示自然选择应会强烈作用于该性状，促使其缩短至正常子代发育所需的最短时长。尽管不同鸟类物种间的孵化期存在显著差异，但同一物种内部的孵化期同样存在变异。若要预测该性状的演化潜力，我们需要量化评估这一变异在多大程度上由遗传因素决定。本研究基于对斑姬鹟（collared flycatcher）的长期野外研究，探究孵化期变异的遗传基础。研究结果显示孵化期的遗传变异程度有限：加性遗传方差较低且不显著，对应的遗传力为0.04，加性遗传变异系数为2.16。因此，任何作用于孵化期的选择作用都将效率低下。据我们所知，本研究首次在野生鸟类种群中估算了孵化期的遗传力。