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Related Concept Videos

Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
What is Population Genetics?01:25

What is Population Genetics?

A population is composed of members of the same species that simultaneously live and interact in the same area. When individuals in a population breed, they pass down their genes to their offspring. Many of these genes are polymorphic, meaning that they occur in multiple variants. Such variations of a gene are referred to as alleles. The collective set of all the alleles within a population is known as the gene pool.
Hardy-Weinberg Principle01:49

Hardy-Weinberg Principle

Diploid organisms have two alleles of each gene, one from each parent, in their somatic cells. Therefore, each individual contributes two alleles to the gene pool of the population. The gene pool of a population is the sum of every allele of all genes within that population and has some degree of variation. Genetic variation is typically expressed as a relative frequency, which is the percentage of the total population that has a given allele, genotype or phenotype.
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...

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Foraging Path-length Protocol for Drosophila melanogaster Larvae
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Maintaining a behaviour polymorphism by frequency-dependent selection on a single gene.

Mark J Fitzpatrick1, Elah Feder, Locke Rowe

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario L5L 1C6, Canada.

Nature
|May 15, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Negative frequency-dependent selection maintains genetic variation in fruitfly foraging behavior. This evolutionary mechanism, driven by the foraging gene, is most pronounced under low nutrient conditions, highlighting its ecological significance.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Behavioral Genetics
  • Population Genetics

Background:

  • Understanding genetic variation maintenance under natural selection is a key evolutionary biology challenge.
  • Negative frequency-dependent selection is a proposed mechanism for maintaining genetic polymorphisms, but empirical examples are scarce, especially linking specific genes to phenotypes.
  • The foraging gene in fruitflies is a well-studied natural polymorphism affecting behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To demonstrate frequency-dependent selection in a natural genetic polymorphism.
  • To identify the genetic basis of this frequency-dependent selection.
  • To investigate the role of environmental conditions, specifically nutrient levels, in mediating frequency-dependent selection.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental evolution with fruitflies carrying different alleles of the foraging gene (for(s) and for(R)).
  • Fitness assays conducted under varying nutrient conditions (low and high).
  • Introduction of a mutant allele to confirm the role of the foraging gene in observed frequency-dependent fitness patterns.

Main Results:

  • Both natural alleles of the foraging gene (for(s) and for(R)) exhibit negative frequency-dependent selection under low nutrient conditions, with rare alleles showing higher fitness.
  • This frequency-dependent selection disappears under high nutrient conditions, indicating a role for larval competition.
  • A sitter-like mutant allele on a rover background displayed similar frequency-dependent fitness to the natural sitter allele, confirming the foraging gene's involvement.

Conclusions:

  • This study provides a clear demonstration of negative frequency-dependent selection in a natural genetic polymorphism.
  • The foraging gene is identified as the single, naturally polymorphic gene responsible for this behavior-affecting frequency-dependent selection.
  • Environmental factors, such as nutrient availability, significantly influence the operation of frequency-dependent selection.