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Genetics of Speciation

Genetics of Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.

Gene Flow

Gene Flow

Gene flow is the transfer of genes among populations, resulting from either the dispersal of gametes or from the migration of individuals.

Frequency-dependent Selection

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.

Types of Selection

Types of Selection

Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...

Epistasis

Epistasis

In addition to multiple alleles at the same locus influencing traits, numerous genes or alleles at different locations may interact and influence phenotypes in a phenomenon called epistasis. For example, rabbit fur can be black or brown depending on whether the animal is homozygous dominant or heterozygous at a TYRP1 locus. However, if the rabbit is also homozygous recessive at a locus on the tyrosinase gene (TYR), it will have an unshaded coat that appears white, regardless of its TYRP1...

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).

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Digital PCR-based Competitive Index for High-throughput Analysis of Fitness in Salmonella

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Interacting phenotypes and the coevolutionary process: Interspecific indirect genetic effects alter coevolutionary

Stephen P De Lisle^1,2, Daniel I Bolnick¹, Edmund D Brodie³

¹Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, 06269.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution

|January 8, 2022

Summary

Reciprocal interactions between species can drive evolution through indirect genetic effects, even without direct selection or genetic variation in one species. This broadens our understanding of coevolutionary dynamics.

Keywords:

Coevolution cross-species selection interspecific indirect genetic effects quantitative genetics species interactions

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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

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Published on: February 3, 2023

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Theoretical Ecology
Population Genetics

Background:

Coevolution describes reciprocal evolutionary changes between interacting species.
Species interactions create feedback loops influencing trait expression and fitness.
Intraspecific social evolution theory, including indirect genetic effects, provides a framework for understanding these interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To adapt theories of intraspecific social evolution to interspecific interactions.
To develop a trait-based model for multivariate coevolutionary change.
To investigate the role of indirect genetic effects in driving coevolution.

Main Methods:

Developed a trait-based model for two interacting species.
Derived general expressions for evolutionary change and interspecific covariance.
Analyzed scenarios with varying spatial selection and genetic variance.

Main Results:

Interspecific indirect genetic effects can be a dominant force in coevolution.
These effects can drive correlated evolution beyond direct selection.
Coevolution can occur even with non-covarying selection or absent genetic variance in one species.

Conclusions:

Interspecific indirect genetic effects significantly shape coevolutionary trajectories.
Complex interactions between indirect effects and direct selection determine coevolutionary outcomes.
The model provides testable predictions for empirical research on reciprocal interactions.