Abstract

My work is centered on understanding how selection and other forces shape variation in life history and behavioural traits, using long term studies of vertebrates.

In this talk I will provide an overlook of how we use quantitative genetics applied to these long term datasets in order to improve our understanding of evolutionary responses in the wild. In particular, I will show how we can decipher whether recent changes in phenological traits result from microevolution or from individual plasticity. This will be explored through studies of the timing of hibernation in the Columbian ground squirrel Spermophilus columbianus, the timing of reproduction in the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, and the timing of migration in the common tern Sterna hirundo.

Finally I will show how long term studies in natural populations can address the question of context-specific genetic architecture, and the consequences of this variation on our perception of evolutionary potential.