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title: "5.11.4 Special case of a common environmental effect: social genetic effect"
canonical: "https://wiki.groenkennisnet.nl/space/TAB/288686347/5.11.4%20Special%20case%20of%20a%20common%20environmental%20effect%3A%20social%20genetic%20effect"
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When animals are kept in groups, the phenotype of an animal is influenced by their group members. The others are part of the environment of the animal, where, just as with the maternal effect, the ‘environment’ has a genetic component: the genetics of the other animals. In other words: the phenotype of each animal is influenced by a direct genetic effect (its own genes) and its own environment, but also indirectly by phenotypic effects of animals in the surrounding of the animal. Just like the maternal effect, the social phenotype has a genetic and an environmental component. This is illustrated in the figure. It represents a pen with 4 pigs, with the outline of the direct and social effects on pig 1. Pig 1 has a phenotype due to its own genetics and own environment (PD), but is also influenced by the social phenotypes (PS) of its pen mates pig 2, 3, and 4. You can imagine that if these pen mates of pig 1 are quiet and friendly, it will perform much better than when the pen mates are bullying pig 1 around or preventing it from reaching the feed. Social effects may play a role anytime animals are kept in social structures such as pigs in a pen, but also chickens in a cage, horses or cows in a herd, sheep in a flock, etc.
It represents a pen with 4 pigs, with the outline of the direct and social effects on pig 1. Pig 1 has a phenotype due to its own genetics and own environment (PD), but is also influenced by the social phenotypes (PS) of its pen mates pig 2, 3, and 4. You can imagine that if these pen mates of pig 1 are quiet and friendly, it will perform much better than when the pen mates are bullying pig 1 around or preventing it from reaching the feed. Social effects may play a role anytime animals are kept in social structures such as pigs in a pen, but also chickens in a cage, horses or cows in a herd, sheep in a flock, etc.
> ⚠️ ### Definition
> ⚠️
> ⚠️ *The ****indirect or social effect**** describes the effect that the phenotypes of others have on the performance of an animal. Just like with the maternal effect, the social effects are phenotypes that consist of combinations of genetics and environments of the other animals.*
> Macro (children)