BIOL3044 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Fitness Function, Elytron, Selective Breeding
Document Summary
We will explore how evolution takes place when traits are correlated with each other. If traits weren"t correlated, each trait would vary completely independently. Fitness function some kind of regression, sometimes it"s a linear regression, other times it"s a curved line: w = bz + c. Fitness surface when there"s more than 1 trait: we can describe selection on more than one trait by extending the equation of a regression to accommodate multiple traits, w = b1z1 + b2z2 + c. Larger bird will have larger wings and larger body size; a larger beetle will have a longer horn and longer elytra: these kinds of characters will often show a positive correlation. When traits are correlated, the response to selection is often correlated as well. If the wing and body size co-vary together, and we select one trait, then we will also be selecting on the other trait.
