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Updated: May 6, 2026

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
Published on: February 3, 2023
Genome dynamics during experimental evolution
Jeffrey E Barrick1, Richard E Lenski
11] Department of Molecular Biosciences, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712, USA. [2] BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA.
Abstract:
Evolutionary changes in organismal traits may occur either gradually or suddenly. However, until recently, there has been little direct information about how phenotypic changes are related to the rate and the nature of the underlying genotypic changes. Technological advances that facilitate whole-genome and whole-population sequencing, coupled with experiments that 'watch' evolution in action, have brought new precision to and insights into studies of mutation rates and genome evolution. In this Review, we discuss the evolutionary forces and ecological processes that govern genome dynamics in various laboratory systems in the context of relevant population genetic theory, and we relate these findings to evolution in natural populations.
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