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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
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Evolutionary response when selection and genetic variation covary across environments.

Corlett W Wood1, Edmund D Brodie2

  • 1Mountain Lake Biological Station and Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA. corlett.wood@utoronto.ca.

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|August 18, 2016
PubMed
Summary

A correlation between trait selection and genetic variation can accelerate or slow evolution. This link significantly impacts the variation in evolutionary responses across populations and generations.

Keywords:
Anthropogenic changebreeder's equationcryptic genetic variationenvironmental heterogeneityheritabilitynovel environmentsresponse to selection

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Ecology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Evolutionary models typically assume independence between selection strength and genetic variation expression.
  • Ecological factors can simultaneously influence both selection and genetic variation, potentially creating a correlation.
  • This correlation can alter the speed and direction of trait evolution in different environments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary consequences of a correlation between selection and expressed genetic variation.
  • To identify ecological causes that may generate this correlation.
  • To assess the impact of this correlation on evolutionary trajectories.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a simple analytical model to study the correlation's effects.
  • Conducted a literature review to identify ecological factors influencing selection and genetic variation.
  • Analyzed how factors like temperature, competition, and environmental novelty affect these parameters.

Main Results:

  • The correlation between selection and genetic variation has a modest effect on the average evolutionary response.
  • The correlation significantly increases the variance of evolutionary responses, especially when positive.
  • Temperature and competition are unlikely to generate this correlation, while environmental novelty warrants further study.

Conclusions:

  • The interplay between selection and genetic variation is crucial for understanding evolution in heterogeneous landscapes.
  • The correlation between selection and genetic variation can lead to increased variation in evolutionary outcomes.
  • Environmental novelty is a key factor that may drive the correlation between selection and genetic variation.