The phenotypes of significance to behavioural ecologists may
make particularly interesting tests of the utility of the genetic
toolkit concept. Indeed recent studies suggest that the concept can
be applied to complex behavioural phenotypes, for example sociality,
which is multifaceted and has several phylogenetic origins
. Behavioural ecologists have uncovered a surprising
diversity of complex phenotypes that have arisen repeatedly
across taxa, for example, reproductive strategies like male
chorusing and female-mimicking male sneaking behaviours, and
foraging behaviours like echolocation A genomic approach could begin to address
whether shared mechanisms, in addition to ecological factors, are
in part responsible for this type of convergence