The influence of Canidae social behaviour on reproductive traits

Abstract

There is an intense debate in the literature about how life-history traits of species interact and influence each other over evolutionary time because, in most biological systems, the targets of selection are sets of traits. However, most of what we know about the tempo and mode of trait evolution is based on studies that focus on single traits. Here, we applied phylogenetic path analysis to uncover the most probable causal relationships linking seven relevant traits of the Canidae family, focusing on social behaviour and its influence on the reproductive traits of canids. Our findings suggest that biogeographic events throughout the planet's history are important in understanding how the social behaviour of Canidae was shaped throughout the past 13 Myr, which is more likely to be influencing changes in the length of gestation. In addition, we suggest that cooperative behaviour can be a key element in understanding the evolution of the length of gestation in canids.