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Types of Selection

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 Selection

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.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...

What is Natural Selection?

What is Natural Selection?

Natural selection is an evolutionary process in which individuals with survival-promoting traits reproduce at higher rates. These favorable traits become more common within a population or species. Naturally selected traits initially arise via random genetic mutations. In order for selection to occur, there must be variation within a population, the trait controlling the variation must be heritable, and there must be an evolutionary advantage for variation in the trait.The Theory of Natural...

Inclusive Fitness

Inclusive Fitness

Most altruistic behavior—in which one animal helps another at a cost to themselves—occurs between relatives. Scientists think these altruistic behaviors evolved because they increase the inclusive fitness of the animal providing help.

Limits to Natural Selection

Limits to Natural Selection

Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.For one, natural selection can only act upon existing genetic variation. Hypothetically, redtusks may enhance elephant survival by deterring ivory-seeking poachers. However, if there are no gene variants—or alleles—for redtusks, natural selection cannot increase the prevalence of...

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...

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Natural selection maximizes Fisher information.

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA. safrank@uci.edu

Journal of Evolutionary Biology

|November 27, 2008

Summary

Fisher information quantifies natural selection and evolutionary dynamics. Maximizing this information aligns with Fisher's fundamental theorem, unifying information and biological processes.

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Information Theory
Theoretical Ecology

Background:

Natural selection facilitates environmental information transfer to the genome.
A precise information metric for natural selection has remained unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify the intrinsic information metric of natural selection.
To connect Fisher information to evolutionary dynamics and fundamental theorems.
To explore the relationship between Fisher and Shannon information.

Main Methods:

Theoretical analysis of natural selection and evolutionary dynamics.
Derivation of information metrics within biological systems.
Comparison of Fisher information with existing information theory concepts.

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Main Results:

Fisher information is identified as the intrinsic metric of natural selection.
Maximizing Fisher information captured by a population leads to Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection.
A relationship between Fisher information and Shannon information (entropy) is established.

Conclusions:

Fisher information provides a fundamental framework for understanding natural selection.
This work unifies concepts in information theory and evolutionary biology.
The findings suggest broad applicability of Fisher information across scientific disciplines.