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Selection for sex in finite populations
1CNRS, UMI 3614, Evolutionary Biology and Ecology of Algae, Roscoff, France; Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Université Paris VI, Roscoff, France.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|March 27, 2014
Summary
Finite populations favor sexual reproduction due to selection acting on sex modifier loci. Indirect selection, influenced by linked genes, drives this evolution, differing from recombination modifier dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Population genetics
Background:
- Finite population size causes interference between selected genetic loci.
- This interference can favor increased rates of recombination and sexual reproduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore selection on a 'sex modifier locus' in finite populations using analytical models.
- To investigate direct and indirect selective forces influencing the evolution of sexual reproduction.
Main Methods:
- Development of analytical models for selection on a sex modifier locus.
- Analysis of direct selection (cost of sex) and indirect selection (linked loci).
- Extrapolation from three-locus models to large numbers of loci under mutation-selection balance.
Main Results:
- Indirect selection on sex modifiers differs from that on recombination modifiers.
- A single linked locus generates indirect selection for sex, while two are needed for recombination modifiers.
- Interactions between selected loci can be more significant than individual effects when indirect selection outweighs the cost of sex.
Conclusions:
- Analytical models predict the evolutionarily stable rate of sex in finite populations.
- The findings highlight the importance of indirect selection and gene interactions in the evolution of sex.
- Model predictions align with simulation results, especially when the cost of sex is not prohibitively high.
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