DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.25309141.v1
title: Data associated with Shrike in ex situ breeding

description: <b>Shrike Dat contains the main data analyzed in the manuscript</b><b>Shrike Dat contains the main data analyzed in the manuscript</b>Columns<br>id : individual bird identitydam : identity of an individual's motherF_GRM: pedigree calculated inbreeding coefficientYear: Hatch year of an individualgen: An individuals generation scaled to the mean generation in the populationSex: the sex of an individual, M = "Male", F = "Female', U = "Unknown"Tarsus_Width: the width of an individual's tarsusBander.ID: Anonymized identity of the measurer and banderYear2: The hatch year of an individual scaled to the mean hatch yearAgeatBand: The age in days of a bird at the time of measurement scaled to the mean age in days at the time of measurementQgg: The proportion of an individual's genome inherited from "new" founders (individuals with unknown parents after 2000).animal: an individuals identity, variable named to link the the pedigreeTarsus_Length: The tarsus length of an individual in mmWing_Chord: The wing chord of an individual in mmMass: The mass of an individual in gramsgen: The generation of an individualColumns<br>id : individual bird identitydam : identity of an individual's motherF_GRM: pedigree calculated inbreeding coefficientYear: Hatch year of an individualgen: An individuals generation scaled to the mean generation in the populationSex: the sex of an individual, M = "Male", F = "Female', U = "Unknown"Tarsus_Width: the width of an individual's tarsusBander.ID: Anonymized identity of the measurer and banderYear2: The hatch year of an individual scaled to the mean hatch yearAgeatBand: The age in days of a bird at the time of measurement scaled to the mean age in days at the time of measurementQgg: The proportion of an individual's genome inherited from "new" founders (individuals with unknown parents after 2000).animal: an individuals identity, variable named to link the the pedigreeTarsus_Length: The tarsus length of an individual in mmWing_Chord: The wing chord of an individual in mmMass: The mass of an individual in gramsgen: The generation of an individualsavedPed - The pedigree for the individuals analyzedid: the identity of an individualdam: the identity of an individual's mothersire: the identity of an individual's fatherAinv - is the inverse Amatrix from the pedigree used in the animal model analysis<br>RCodeShrikeQuantGen.RmdContains the R code for running main analyses in the manuscript.<br>Abstract for research:<br>Conservation breeding programs play a crucial role in managing endangered wildlife, yet successful reintroduction remains challenging due to low fitness of released individuals and complexities in conservation breeg. This study addresses the ongoing challenges by investigating morphological changes in the endangered Eastern loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus migrans) breeding program across multiple facilities in southern Canada and the United States, which was started in 1997. Using mixed effect animal models and breeding values, we explore potential signals of evolutionary change in the program and assess variables contributing to morphological variation and change. Our findings reveal dynamic variation in shrike morphology across years and generations, with some evidence of evolutionary change in shrike mass. However, mass changes appear to be unrelated to selection in captivity. Additionally, recent gene flow from the wild correlate with mass and tarsus width indicating gene flow as a genetic driver in these traits. Importantly, observed temporal heterogeneities and trends are likely influenced not only by genetic changes but also by plasticity, and this plasticity might be masking simultaneously occurring genetic change. This study provides insights into the interplay of evolutionary processes and plasticity in shaping morphological traits in a conservation breeding program. The identified genetic drivers offer considerations for refining breeding practices and insights into evolutionary change in a conservation breeding program, presenting significant implications for wildlife managers and conservation practitioners.<br><br><br>