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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Population genetics

Background:

  • Severe environmental changes threaten populations with extinction.
  • Adaptation is crucial for population persistence, termed "evolutionary rescue".

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how different reproductive modes (sexual, selfing, clonal) affect evolutionary rescue.
  • To analyze the role of mating systems in the establishment of beneficial mutations.

Main Methods:

  • A one-locus, two-allele model for diploid species was developed.
  • The model simulated adaptation where rescue depends on the establishment of a mutant homozygote.
  • Reproduction modes included random mating, selfing, and clonal reproduction.

Main Results:

  • The rate of sexual reproduction and selfing has a complex, non-trivial effect on population survival.
  • The dominance coefficient of the mutation significantly influences the success of evolutionary rescue.
  • In randomly mating populations, a large wild-type population can impede rescue by disrupting mutant homozygotes.

Conclusions:

  • Biparental sexual reproduction's impact on evolutionary rescue is contingent on the interplay between mating system and mutation properties.
  • Selfing can efficiently generate beneficial mutations but may deplete heterozygotes, affecting standing genetic variation.
  • Understanding these dynamics is vital for predicting population persistence under environmental change.