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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.
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress02:45

Responses to Heat and Cold Stress

Every organism has an optimum temperature range within which healthy growth and physiological functioning can occur. At the ends of this range, there will be a minimum and maximum temperature that interrupt biological processes.
Limits to Natural Selection01:38

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.
What is Natural Selection?01:32

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.
Types of Selection01:46

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...
Dihybrid Crosses01:18

Dihybrid Crosses

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High-Throughput Assays of Critical Thermal Limits in Insects
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Response to selection on cold tolerance is constrained by inbreeding.

Anneke Dierks1, Birgit Baumann, Klaus Fischer

  • 1Zoological Institute and Museum, University of Greifswald, J.-S.-Bachstraße 11/12, D-17489 Greifswald, Germany. anneke.dierks@uni-greifswald.de

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|July 28, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Inbreeding reduces a butterfly population's ability to evolve cold resistance. This genetic erosion in small, fragmented populations threatens their long-term survival and evolutionary potential.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Population genetics
  • Conservation biology

Background:

  • Small, isolated populations risk extinction due to reduced genetic diversity from inbreeding and drift.
  • Genetic erosion can impair a population's capacity to adapt to environmental changes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how inbreeding affects the evolutionary potential of cold resistance in the butterfly Bicyclus anynana.
  • To explore the constraints on evolution imposed by inbreeding in a controlled laboratory setting.

Main Methods:

  • Artificial selection was applied to chill-coma recovery time over ten generations.
  • Three inbreeding levels were used: outbred control, one, and two full-sibling matings.
  • Cold tolerance and life-history traits were measured to assess evolutionary response and correlated effects.

Main Results:

  • Selected lines showed a 28% improvement in cold tolerance (shorter recovery time) compared to controls.
  • Inbred lines exhibited a reduced response to selection, indicating diminished evolutionary potential.
  • Inbreeding depression persisted in some traits, while fitness-related traits showed a rebound due to purging.

Conclusions:

  • Inbreeding significantly constrains evolutionary potential, specifically the ability to adapt to cold stress.
  • The findings highlight the detrimental impact of genetic erosion on the long-term viability of small, fragmented populations.
  • Conservation strategies must consider the genetic health of populations to maintain their adaptive capacity.