Selection for increased body length in Subantarctic fur seals on Amsterdam Island

Abstract

The traditional distinction between ecological and evolutionary times is eroding, calling for tighter links between ecology and evolution. An example of such a brigde between the two disciplines is the so-called 'animal model', a methodology initially developed by animal breeders, which has become very popular among ecologists studying contemporary microevolution. Using a Bayesian multi-trait 'animal model', we investigated the quantitative genetics of body size, a fitness-related trait, in Subantarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus tropicalis) breeding on Amsterdam Island, Southern Ocean. Our approach jointly modelled the growth and selection processes at work in this population. Body length is heritable for both sexes, and females are under selection for increased body length in this population. We strongly suspect the peculiar ecological context of impoverished, suitable prey availability exacerbated by density-dependence phenomena to be an important selective agent on females breeding on Amsterdam Island.