Selection Response in Natural Populations

The breeder's equation often fails when applied to natural populations. In large part, this likely occurs because the assumed trait is not the actual target of selection. A within-generation change in the mean of a suggested target trait can arise as a correlated response from selection acting elsewhere. This chapter examines sources of error in the breeder's equation and approaches that attempt to determine if an assumed trait is actually the true target of selection. It also reviews a number of long-term studies from natural populations and examines possible sources for the failure of most of these studies to conform to the expectations of the breeder's equation.