Patterns of quantitative genetic variation in multiple dimensions

A fundamental question for both evolutionary biologists and breeders is the extent to which genetic correlations limit the ability of populations to respond to selection. Here I view this topic from three perspectives. First, I propose several nondimensional statistics to quantify the genetic variation present in a suite of traits and to describe the extent to which correlations limit their selection response. A review of five data sets suggests that the total variation differs substantially between populations. In all cases analyzed, however, the effective number of dimensions is less than two: more than half of the total genetic variation is explained by a single combination of traits. Second, I consider how patterns of variation affect the average evolutionary response to selection in a random direction. When genetic variation lies in a small number of dimensions but there are a large number of traits under selection, then the average selection response will be reduced substantially from its potential maximum. Third, I discuss how a low genetic correlation between male fitness and female fitness limits the ability of populations to adapt. Data from two recent studies of natural populations suggest this correlation can diminish or even erase any genetic benefit to mate choice. Together these results suggest that adaptation (in natural populations) and genetic improvement (in domesticated populations) may often be as much constrained by patterns of genetic correlation as by the overall amount of genetic variation.