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Related Concept Videos

Natural Selection and Adaptation01:15

Natural Selection and Adaptation

Natural selection, a fundamental concept in evolutionary biology, is the mechanism by which evolution is driven, favoring organisms that are best adapted to their environments. This process enhances their chances of survival and reproduction. Adaptation, a key outcome of this process, involves genetic modifications that optimize an organism's functionality under specific environmental challenges, such as extreme cold or thinner air at high altitudes.
Beyond physical adaptations, psychological...
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes01:24

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...
Genetic Variation01:25

Genetic Variation

Genetic variation is the diversity in DNA sequences found among individuals of the same species. This diversity is crucial for a species' survival because it helps organisms adapt to environmental changes. Genetic variation begins with fertilization, where an egg and sperm cell merge. Each of these cells carries 23 chromosomes, up to 46 in the fertilized egg. Chromosomes are long DNA strands that contain genes, the basic units of heredity.
Genes exist in different versions called alleles, which...
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...
Genetic Drift03:33

Genetic Drift

Natural selection—probably the most well-known evolutionary mechanism—increases the prevalence of traits that enhance survival and reproduction. However, evolution does not merely propagate favorable traits, nor does it always benefit populations.

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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
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Selection on variance-controlling genes: adaptability or stability.

Mats E Pettersson1, Ronald M Nelson, Orjan Carlborg

  • 1Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden. mats.pettersson@slu.se

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|December 5, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Selection impacts variance-controlling genes more than effector genes. The direction of this selection depends on how often the environment changes, influencing genetic adaptation.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary genetics
  • Population genetics
  • Systems biology

Background:

  • Genetic variation is crucial for adaptation.
  • Master regulatory genes can control the effects of other genes.
  • Environmental changes drive evolutionary processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how selection acts on a variance-controlling locus and linked effector loci.
  • To determine the influence of environmental change frequency on selection direction.

Main Methods:

  • Computational simulations of a multi-locus genetic model.
  • Analysis of selection pressures under varying environmental change rates.

Main Results:

  • Selection favors the variance-controlling locus more intensely than effector loci.
  • The direction of selection on the variance-controlling locus is contingent on environmental fluctuation frequency.

Conclusions:

  • Variance-controlling loci are key targets of selection in changing environments.
  • Adaptive evolution dynamics are sensitive to the rate of environmental change.