The evolution of local adaptation in long-lived species

Many species experience heterogeneous environments and adapt genetically
to local conditions. The extent of such local adaptation depends on a
balance between divergent selection and gene flow, but also on other
factors such as phenotypic plasticity or the genetic architecture of
traits. Here, we explore the role of life history in this process. We
develop a quantitative genetics model and run individual-based simulations
to contrast the evolution of local adaptation between short- and
long-lived species. We show that local adaptation varies with a
species' life cycle and how this cycle modulates the scheduling of
selection and dispersal among stages. When a longer generation time is
associated with more frequent events of selection than dispersal, local
adaptation is more pronounced in long-lived than in short-lived species.
Contrastingly, if dispersal occurs more frequently than selection,
long-lived species evolve weaker local adaptation. Our simulations confirm
these findings and further show how longevity shapes additive genetic
variance, effective dispersal between patches, and the genetic response at
quantitative trait loci. Taken together, our results suggest that the
effect of longevity on local adaptation depends on the specifics of a
species' life cycle, potentially explaining why current meta-analyses
have not consistently detected this effect.