Genotype-by-environment interactions modulate the rate of microevolution in reproductive timing in humans
Published in Evolution, 2022
The standard expectation is straightforward: a heritable trait under sustained directional selection should respond predictably. Using multi-generational genealogical data from preindustrial French-Canadian populations, this work shows that genotype-by-environment interactions (G×E) break that expectation.
Because the genetic basis of reproductive timing interacts with a shifting environment, the realized rate of microevolutionary change varies even when selection pressure and heritability appear stable. The implication is that contemporary rates of evolutionary change cannot be extrapolated from selection and heritability estimates alone — a constraint on evolutionary predictability that carries over to any population experiencing environmental change.
Recommended citation: Mawass, W., Mayer, F. M., and Milot, E. (2022). "Genotype-by-environment interactions modulate the rate of microevolution in reproductive timing in humans." Evolution, 76(7), 1391–1405.