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Related Concept Videos

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.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...
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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...
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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.
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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.In the early 20th century,...
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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...
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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.
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Universality of weak selection.

Bin Wu1, Philipp M Altrock, Long Wang

  • 1Research Group Evolutionary Theory, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann-Str 2, 24306 Plön, Germany. bin.wu@evolbio.mpg.de

Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|January 15, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Weak selection, crucial in evolutionary biology and game theory, simplifies models by assuming near-equal performance. This study reveals universal higher-order expansions, challenging some standard weak selection results.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Evolutionary Game Theory
  • Population Dynamics

Background:

  • Weak selection, a scenario with minimal phenotypic advantage, is a key concept in evolutionary biology.
  • It has been integrated into evolutionary game theory, where game performance influences reproduction and imitation probabilities.
  • The intensity of selection governs stochastic dynamics in finite populations, with weak selection often assumed for analytical tractability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the universality of weak selection across different microscopic evolutionary models.
  • To analyze fixation probability and average fixation time beyond linear approximations of selection intensity.
  • To determine if higher-order selection effects alter established weak selection predictions.

Main Methods:

  • Mathematical analysis of fixation probability and average fixation time.
  • Expansion of evolutionary dynamics up to higher orders in selection intensity.
  • Comparison of model-specific results with universal higher-order expansions.

Main Results:

  • Discovered universal higher-order expansions for evolutionary dynamics under weak selection.
  • Demonstrated that these expansions allow for a rescaling of selection intensity.
  • Identified specific models where linear weak selection predictions, like the one-third rule in coordination games, are violated.

Conclusions:

  • Weak selection universality is more nuanced than previously assumed, especially at higher orders of selection intensity.
  • Higher-order analysis provides a more accurate understanding of evolutionary dynamics in finite populations.
  • This work refines our understanding of evolutionary game theory and its application to population dynamics.