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Correlational selection and the evolution of genomic architecture
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA. sinervo@biology.ucsc.edu
Heredity
|October 26, 2002
Summary
Correlational selection shapes traits by building genetic links, but these usually fade. Chronic Red Queen dynamics, like those in side-blotched lizards, can sustain these links, influencing evolution and speciation.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Population Genetics
Background:
- Correlational selection favors optimal trait combinations, creating genetic correlations via linkage disequilibrium.
- These genetic correlations are typically transient unless selection is strong and persistent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of correlational selection in natural populations.
- To explore how Red Queen dynamics can maintain strong, chronic correlational selection.
- To discuss the implications for the evolution of complex traits and speciation.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on correlational selection and Red Queen dynamics.
- Empirical examples from diverse plant and animal systems.
- Case study on the side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana) throat color polymorphism.
Main Results:
- Frequency-dependent biotic interactions, such as host-parasite dynamics, can drive chronic correlational selection.
- Side-blotched lizards exhibit cyclical morph frequencies driven by strong frequency-dependent selection and Red Queen dynamics.
- Correlational selection gradients on life history, immunological, and morphological traits maintain adaptive genetic correlations in this system.
Conclusions:
- Chronic correlational selection, fueled by Red Queen dynamics, is crucial for maintaining adaptive genetic correlations.
- The buildup of co-adapted trait complexes can have significant consequences for evolutionary trajectories, including speciation.