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Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Determination of the Mating Efficiency of Haploids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Published on: December 2, 2022

An analytically tractable model for competitive speciation.

Pleuni S Pennings¹, Michael Kopp, Géza Meszéna

¹Section of Evolutionary Biology, Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Grosshaderner Strasse 2, D-82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany. pennings@lmu.de

The American Naturalist

|January 4, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Frequency-dependent disruptive selection drives assortative mating and speciation. A simplified model reveals five evolutionary regimes, showing reproductive isolation can emerge gradually with assortative mating.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Theoretical ecology
Population genetics

Background:

Intraspecific competition can drive disruptive selection, leading to assortative mating and sympatric speciation.
Previous models often rely on limited numerical analyses, raising questions about the generality of these findings.

Purpose of the Study:

To analytically investigate the conditions under which assortative mating and sympatric speciation evolve.
To explore the generality of previous findings using a simplified genetic model.

Main Methods:

Utilized a simplified genetic model (Roughgarden model) with a single diallelic locus for the selected trait.
Employed invasion fitness arguments for comprehensive analytical treatment.
Analyzed the impact of stabilizing selection, competition, mating function shape, and sexual selection.

Main Results:

Identified five distinct evolutionary regimes based on ecological and genetic parameters.
Demonstrated that complete reproductive isolation can evolve through small increments in assortative mating under specific conditions.
Provided mechanistic insights into phenomena observed in prior models.

Conclusions:

The evolutionary outcome, including speciation, is highly sensitive to a complex interplay of ecological and genetic factors.
Even simplified models can yield rich evolutionary dynamics and offer valuable theoretical understanding.
The study clarifies the conditions promoting gradual reproductive isolation and sympatric speciation.