Abstract To understand the evolution of cognitive abilities, we need to understand both how selection acts upon them and their genetic (co)variance structure. Recent work suggests that there are fitness consequences for free-living individuals with particular cognitive abilities. However, our current understanding of the heritability of these abilities is restricted to domesticated species subjected to artificial selection. We investigated genetic variance for, and genetic correlations among four cognitive abilities: inhibitory control, visual and spatial discrimination, and spatial ability, measured on >450 pheasants, Phasianus colchicus, over four generations. Pheasants were reared in captivity but bred from adults that lived in the wild and hence, were subject to selection on survival. Pheasant chicks are precocial and were reared without parents, enabling us to standardize environmental and parental care effects. We constructed a pedigree based on 15 microsatellite loci and implemented animal models to estimate heritability. We found moderate heritabilities for discrimination learning and inhibitory control (h2 = 0.17–0.23) but heritability for spatial ability was low (h2 = 0.09). Genetic correlations among-traits were largely positive but characterized by high uncertainty and were not statistically significant. Principle component analysis of the genetic correlation matrix estimate revealed a leading component that explained 69% of the variation, broadly in line with expectations under a general intelligence model of cognition. However, this pattern was not apparent in the phenotypic correlation structure which was more consistent with a modular view of animal cognition. Our findings highlight that the expression of cognitive traits is influenced by environmental factors which masks the underlying genetic structure.

中文翻译：

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学习和抑制控制特征之间的遗传力和相关性

摘要：为了理解认知能力的进化，我们需要理解选择如何作用于认知能力以及它们的遗传（共）方差结构。最近的研究表明，具有特定认知能力的自由生活个体会产生健康后果。然而，我们目前对这些能力遗传性的理解仅限于经过人工选择的驯化物种。我们研究了四种认知能力的遗传方差和遗传相关性：抑制控制、视觉和空间辨别能力以及空间能力，对超过 450 只雉鸡（Phasianus colchicus）进行了四代以上的测量。雉鸡是人工饲养的，但由生活在野外的成鸟繁殖而来，因此要受到生存选择的影响。雉鸡雏鸟早熟，在没有父母的情况下饲养，使我们能够标准化环境和父母照顾的影响。我们基于 15 个微卫星位点构建了谱系，并采用动物模型来估计遗传力。我们发现辨别学习和抑制控制的遗传力中等（h2 = 0.17-0.23），但空间能力的遗传力较低（h2 = 0.09）。性状之间的遗传相关性在很大程度上是正相关，但具有高度不确定性，并且在统计上不显着。遗传相关矩阵估计的主成分分析揭示了一个主导成分，它解释了 69% 的变异，与一般智力认知模型下的预期大致一致。然而，这种模式在表型相关结构中并不明显，这与动物认知的模块化观点更加一致。我们的研究结果强调，认知特征的表达受到环境因素的影响，而环境因素掩盖了潜在的遗传结构。