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Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
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The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
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Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
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Evolutionary consequences of environmental effects on gamete performance.

Angela J Crean1, Simone Immler2

  • 1Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|April 19, 2021
PubMed
Summary

Environmental changes impact gamete conditions, influencing fertilization and offspring traits. Understanding these effects is crucial for evolutionary insights, especially with human-induced environmental changes.

Keywords:
assisted reproductioneggepigeneticoocyteparental effectsperm

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Reproductive biology
  • Environmental science

Background:

  • Offspring inherit epigenetic information from both parents.
  • Post-fertilization epigenetic alterations can affect offspring development and fitness.
  • Gametes are exposed to environmental factors during fertilization, influencing evolutionary processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight pathways through which gamete environments affect fertilization and offspring fitness.
  • To draw attention to the evolutionary implications of environmental impacts on gametes.
  • To inspire research on anthropogenic interference with gamete environments.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on gamete environments and evolutionary processes.
  • Analysis of how environmental factors (temperature, pollution) and intrinsic factors (reproductive fluids) influence gamete selection.
  • Exploration of epigenetic inheritance and its role in offspring fitness.

Main Results:

  • Variation in pre- and post-release gamete environments significantly impacts fertilization success and offspring traits.
  • Environmental factors like pollution and climate change, as well as internal physiological changes, can alter gamete quality and selection.
  • Epigenetic modifications acquired by gametes can have lasting effects on offspring development and fitness.

Conclusions:

  • Changes in gamete environments represent a critical, yet often overlooked, source of evolutionary variation.
  • Anthropogenic impacts on gamete environments warrant further investigation, including the role of assisted reproductive technologies.
  • Understanding these mechanisms is essential for predicting evolutionary trajectories in response to environmental change.