Data from: Beyond mean allelic effects: a locus at the major color gene MC1R associates also with differing levels of phenotypic and genetic (co)variance for coloration in barn owls

The mean phenotypic effects of a discovered variant help to predict major
aspects of the evolution and inheritance of a phenotype. However,
differences in the phenotypic variance associated to distinct genotypes
are often overlooked despite being suggestive of processes that largely
influence phenotypic evolution, such as interactions between the genotypes
with the environment or the genetic background. We present empirical
evidence for a mutation at the melanocortin-1-receptor gene, a major
vertebrate coloration gene, affecting phenotypic variance in the barn owl,
Tyto alba. The white MC1R allele, which associates with whiter plumage
coloration, also associates with a pronounced phenotypic and additive
genetic variance for distinct color traits. Contrarily, the rufous allele,
associated with a rufous coloration, relates to a lower phenotypic and
additive genetic variance, suggesting that this allele may be epistatic
over other color loci. Variance differences between genotypes entailed
differences in the strength of phenotypic and genetic associations between
color traits, suggesting that differences in variance also alter the level
of integration between traits. This study highlights that addressing
variance differences of genotypes in wild populations provides interesting
new insights into the evolutionary mechanisms and the genetic architecture
underlying the phenotype.