Data from: Heterozygosity-behaviour correlations in nine-spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) populations: contrasting effects at random and functional loci

The study of heterozygosity-fitness correlations has a long history in the fields of ecology and evolutionary biology but remains controversial. Recently, it has been shown that the location of markers i.e. their genomic position with respect to their distance from functional loci can be an important factor to be considered in addition to marker number and variability. In this study, we investigated the correlation between individual heterozygosity and behaviour (aggression, boldness and feeding activity) in nine-spined stickleback individuals originating from four populations in two contrasting environments. Offspring of full-sib families raised in a common garden setting were assessed for behaviour and genotyped using 84 microsatellite markers that were either located within or near behaviourally or physiologically important genes (termed ‘functional’) or were randomly selected. No associations were detected with any behavioural trait in any population or over all populations when genetic variability was measured using all markers combined. However, when the markers were separated into three functional categories, several significant associations were observed both with functional markers and random markers in one of the four populations. Contrasting correlations with behaviour were observed when using physiological gene (negative) and random (positive) markers. Upon dividing the physiological gene markers into further subcategories based on their specific physiological functions, a strong relationship between the heterozygosity of markers linked to osmoregulation-related genes and behaviour was revealed in the brackish water population. Our results indicate that both local (physiological) and general (neutral) effects are important in shaping behaviour and that heterozygosity-behaviour correlations are population dependent.

生态学与进化生物学领域中，杂合度-适合度相关性（heterozygosity-fitness correlations）的研究历史悠久，但至今仍存在争议。近期研究表明，除标记数量与多态性外，标记的位置——即其相对于功能位点的基因组距离——也是需要考量的重要因素。本研究针对来自两种截然不同环境下的4个种群的九棘刺鱼（nine-spined stickleback）个体，探究了个体杂合度与行为（包括攻击性、大胆性以及摄食活动）之间的相关性。本研究对在同质园环境下饲养的全同胞家系后代开展行为评估，并利用84个微卫星标记（microsatellite markers）进行基因分型：这些标记要么位于行为或生理功能重要基因的内部或邻近区域（称为‘功能型标记’），要么为随机选取的标记。当使用所有合并的标记来衡量遗传变异度时，无论在单个种群还是所有种群的综合分析中，均未发现任何行为性状与遗传变异度存在关联。然而，当将标记划分为3个功能类别后，在4个种群中的1个种群内，同时观察到功能型标记与随机标记均与行为性状存在若干显著关联。使用生理功能基因相关标记时观察到负相关，而使用随机标记时则观察到正相关，二者与行为的相关性呈现出相反的趋势。进一步根据生理功能将生理基因标记划分为亚类别后，在咸淡水种群中，与渗透压调节相关基因连锁的标记的杂合度与行为之间呈现出极强的相关性。本研究结果表明，局部（生理相关）效应与全局（中性）效应均对行为塑造具有重要作用，且杂合度-行为相关性具有种群依赖性。