Competitive social feedback amplifies the role of early life contingency in male mice

Science, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 387(6729), P. 81 - 85

Published: Jan. 2, 2025

Contingency (or “luck”) in early life plays an important role shaping individuals’ development. By comparing the developmental trajectories of functionally genetically identical free-living mice who either experienced high levels resource competition (males) or did not (females), we show that magnifies contingency. Male results a feedback loop importance contingency and pushes individuals onto divergent, self-reinforcing trajectories, while same process appears absent females. Our indicate strength sexual selection may be self-limiting, they highlight potential for to lead differences outcomes, even absence any underlying ability (“merit”).

Language: Английский

Sex-specific competitive social feedback amplifies the role of early life contingency in male mice

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: April 21, 2024

Abstract Contingency (or ‘luck’) in early life plays an important role shaping individuals’ development. When individuals live within larger societies, social experiences may cause the importance of contingencies to be magnified or dampened. Here we test hypothesis that competition magnifies contingency a sex-specific manner by comparing developmental trajectories genetically identical, free-living mice who either experienced high levels territorial (males) did not (females). We show male territoriality results competitive feedback loop and pushes onto divergent, self-reinforcing trajectories, while same process appears absent females. Our indicate strength sexual selection self-limiting, as within-sex increases contingency, thereby reducing ability lead evolution. They also demonstrate potential for dramatic differences outcomes, even absence any underlying (‘merit’).

Language: Английский