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Mutation, selection and the heritability of complex traits.

A Pomiankowski1

  • 1Galton Laboratory, Department of Biology, University College London, London NW1 2HE, UK.

Novartis Foundation Symposium
|March 30, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Complex traits like intelligence may maintain genetic variation through environmental sensitivity, similar to sexual ornaments. This challenges the idea that strong selection reduces heritability for such traits.

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Reply from a. Pomiankowski and L. Sheridan.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2011

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Behavioral genetics

Background:

  • Complex traits, such as intelligence and sexual ornaments, are hypothesized to have low heritabilities due to strong directional selection.
  • This hypothesis suggests that selection leads to the fixation of genetic variation, reducing diversity in these traits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the genetic variation in complex traits, particularly sexual ornaments, and compare it to non-sexual traits.
  • To explore the role of environmental sensitivity and condition-dependent expression in maintaining genetic diversity for complex traits.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of additive genetic variation in sexual ornaments versus non-sexual traits.
  • Experimental investigation using the stalk-eyed fly (Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni) to assess environmental sensitivity of sexual and non-sexual traits.

Main Results:

  • Sexual ornaments exhibit higher additive genetic variation than comparable non-sexual traits, contrary to initial hypotheses.
  • The male exaggerated eyespan in stalk-eyed flies, a sexual trait, is more sensitive to environmental conditions than non-sexual traits.
  • This environmental sensitivity has a genetic basis, with stress enhancing genetic differences.

Conclusions:

  • Genetic variation in complex traits, including intelligence, may be maintained by mechanisms similar to those observed in sexual ornaments, such as condition-dependent expression and environmental sensitivity.
  • Strong selection may not necessarily lead to fixation of genetic variation if traits are expressed in a condition-dependent manner.

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