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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.

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...

Hybrid Zones

Hybrid Zones

Hybrid zones are narrow regions where two closely related species interact, mate, and produce hybrids. Relative to either parent species, hybrids may possess distinct phenotypic or genetic differences that impact their survival and reproductive success. The genetic variances introduced by hybridization influence species diversity and speciation processes within the hybrid zone.

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.

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.

Gene Flow

Gene Flow

Gene flow is the transfer of genes among populations, resulting from either the dispersal of gametes or from the migration of individuals.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

Examination of Thymic Positive and Negative Selection by Flow Cytometry

Examination of Thymic Positive and Negative Selection by Flow Cytometry

Published on: October 8, 2012

A geographic cline induced by negative frequency-dependent selection.

Yuma Takahashi¹, Satoru Morita, Jin Yoshimura

¹Division of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, 6-3, Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8578, Japan. takahashi.yum@gmail.com

BMC Evolutionary Biology

|September 16, 2011

Summary

Negative frequency-dependent selection (NFDS) combined with gene-by-environment interactions explains geographic color morph frequency clines in damselflies. This rare morph advantage allows coexistence and smooth transitions across latitudes.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Population Genetics
Behavioral Ecology

Background:

Geographic morph frequency clines are challenging to explain in species with limited gene flow.
Negative frequency-dependent selection (NFDS) is theoretically proposed to establish such clines.
This study investigates NFDS in the damselfly Ischnura senegalensis, which exhibits female-limited color morphs.

Purpose of the Study:

To test if NFDS establishes large-scale smooth morph frequency clines in Ischnura senegalensis.
To investigate the role of gene-by-environment interactions in maintaining morph frequencies.
To understand the evolutionary pressures shaping color morph diversity.

Main Methods:

Analysis of a large-scale latitudinal cline in andromorph frequency.
Estimation of potential fitness for andromorphs and gynomorphs based on empirical data (egg number, ovariole number, abdomen length, latitude).
Modeling the effects of NFDS and gene-by-environment interactions on morph frequency dynamics.

Main Results:

A significant latitudinal cline in andromorph frequency was observed, ranging from 0.05 (South) to 0.79 (North).
Potential fitness of andromorphs varied latitudinally, being lower in the south and higher in the north, indicating gene-by-environment interaction.
NFDS was shown to facilitate the coexistence of morphs with differing fitness, creating a smooth geographic cline.

Conclusions:

The combination of NFDS and gene-by-environment interactions provides a compelling explanation for the observed geographic cline in morph frequency.
Multi-selection pressures on color morphs are crucial for understanding evolutionary dynamics in this damselfly species.
This study offers empirical support for theoretical models of cline formation driven by balancing selection.