A method to infer positive selection from marker dynamics in an asexual population

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary Biology
• Population Genetics

Background:

• Beneficial mutations confer functional relevance and are key to understanding evolutionary adaptation.
• Estimating mutation fitness effects addresses fundamental biological questions.
• Neutral marker frequency changes can indicate beneficial mutations in asexual populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for estimating the establishment times and fitness of beneficial mutations.
• To utilize neutral marker frequency data for inferring evolutionary dynamics.

Main Methods:

• The study describes a novel computational method.
• The method analyzes changes in neutral marker frequencies within a population.
• It estimates key evolutionary parameters like mutation establishment time and fitness.

Main Results:

• The method accurately reconstructs complex marker frequency trajectories.
• High correlations (up to 0.91) were achieved between true and inferred haplotype establishment times in simulations.
• Inferred fitness distributions closely matched theoretical expectations.
• The method successfully reproduced correlations between evolvability and initial fitness defects in experimental data.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides a robust tool for inferring beneficial mutation dynamics.
• Accurate estimation of mutation fitness and establishment times is achievable from marker data.
• This approach has significant implications for studying adaptation and evolution in various biological systems.