Oferta de doctorado evolutivo en Canadá

Genetic variation in within-individual variance: is it important in the
wild?

Most model of evolution consider that intra-individual variance, once
corrected for environmental variation, is essentially random noise and
is similar across individuals. However, recent studies in captivity
showed that within-individual variance could in fact have a genetic
basis. In addition, several studies on captive animal have shown the
evolutionary importance of the genetic variance in individual
variation. For examples, animal breeding try to select for milking cows
with low daily variation in milk production to facilitate stock
prediction and management. So if we start to understand the importance
and the interest of the genetic basis of within-individual variation in
breeding programs, the evolutionary importance of this genetic
component remain relatively unknown in the wild. Consequently, to
better understand evolution in the wild it is key to evaluate the
existence and quantify the amount of genetic variance in the intra-
individual variance of traits and how it correlates with other traits
including fitness. Ideally to get a wider understanding of the
phenomenon, such study would need to look at multiple type of traits
and across multiple species. Since this has rarely been done, to get a
better understanding this needs to be evaluated across multiple traits
and species. The aim of this project is to used new quantitative
genetic models, a statistical approach allowing to estimate the genetic
variance in a trait in wild population, to quantify the genetic
variation in within-individual variance in multiple traits across at
least 5 species using long-term pedigreed natural populations including
yellow-bellied marmots, alpine swifts, eastern chipmunks, bighorn sheep
and red squirrels. The project will thus be based on over 150 years of
field work (combined across all species). This project will offer
opportunity to learn a variety of important methods in evolutionary
biology and to participate in the field work on the marmot system. The
student will be given a thorough training in field skills and in
statistical modelling to tease apart the amount of trait variance
explained by genetic and environmental effects.

Relevant publications
- Prentice PM, Houslay TM, Martin JGA, Wilson AJ. 2020 Genetic variance
for behavioural ‘predictability’ of stress response. Journal of
Evolutionary Biology 33, 642–652.
- Martin JGA et al. 2017. Genetic basis of between- and within-
individual variance of docility. Journal of Evolutionary Biology,
30(4):796-805.
- Westneat DF, Wright J, Dingemanse NJ. 2015 The biology hidden inside
residual within-individual phenotypic variation. Biological Reviews
90, 729–743.

The project will be supervised by Pr. Julien Martin (uOttawa). The
project will be done in collaborations with the project leaders of
participating long-term studies. The student will be based at the
Biology department of the University of Ottawa. He/she will have the
opportunity to perform field work over the summer in Colorado on the
yellow-bellied marmot long-term study and to visit project leaders in
Canada (Ottawa, Montreal, Sherbrooke, Edmonton), United-States (Los-
Angeles, Boulder) and United-Kingdom (Aberdeen).

Ottawa consistently ranks among the best Canadian cities. You’ll love
an easy-going lifestyle that appeals to urban adventurers and nature
lovers alike. Enjoy a revitalized city that is bursting with energy.
Gigs, festivals, theatre and art are all close by in a walkable
downtown core. And, having the 2nd highest concentration of scientists
and engineers in North America, you’ll have lots of opportunities to
build up your network and kick-start your career.

Financial support
Financial support is available for 4 years. The student is expected to
complete two teaching assistantship per year.

Candidate Profile
For this PhD project our ideal candidate:
• has a MSc in biology
• is creative, highly motivated and can work alone or in teams
• has strong interest in evolutionary biology and quantitative
genetics
• has strong interest for statistical analyses and past experience
with R programming

How to apply
Students that are interested should send a writing sample (thesis,
paper or scientific article), a CV, a motivation letter, and the
contact of two references to Pr. Martin (julien.martin@uottawa.ca). We
will start interviewing candidates in early July and continue to
consider applications until the position is filled.



Julien Martin

Professeur agrégé | Associate Professor
Département de Biologie | Biology Department
Université d’Ottawa | University of Ottawa
30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, CANADA, K1N 6N5
Tel: (613) 562-5800 x2942
https://juliengamartin.github.io/