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Related Concept Videos

Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

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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.
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Types of Selection01:46

Types of Selection

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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...
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Background and Environment Affect Phenotype02:27

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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.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
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Epistasis01:39

Epistasis

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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...
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Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift01:09

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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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Lethal Alleles02:41

Lethal Alleles

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Agouti: A Lethal Allele
Lucien Cuénot discovered lethal alleles in 1905 while studying the inheritance of coat color in mice. The agouti gene is responsible for the color of the coat in mice. This gene codes for an agouti-signaling protein, which is responsible for melanin distribution in mammals. The wild-type allele gives rise to gray-brown coat color in mice, while the mutant allele gives rise to yellow coat color. In addition to coat color, the agouti gene is associated with the yellow...
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Manipulation of Color Patterns in Jumping Spiders for Use in Behavioral Experiments
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Negative frequency-dependent selection on polymorphic color morphs in adders.

Thomas Madsen1, Bo Stille2, Beata Ujvari1

  • 1Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3217, Australia.

Current Biology : CB
|June 17, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study reveals negative frequency-dependent selection maintains color pattern diversity in wild adders. Predation pressure on common color morphs preserves rare forms in this long-term viper population.

Keywords:
Vipera berusadderapostatic selectioncolor pattern polymorphismmelanisticnegative frequency-dependent selectionzigzag

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Ecology
  • Behavioral Ecology

Background:

  • Color pattern polymorphism is common across taxa, but the mechanisms maintaining this variation are not fully understood.
  • Negative frequency-dependent selection (NFDS), or apostatic selection, is a proposed mechanism where rarer phenotypes have higher fitness.
  • While NFDS is supported by experimental data, its role in maintaining polymorphism in wild, undisturbed vertebrate populations via predation has not been documented.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of natural selection in maintaining color pattern polymorphism in a wild vertebrate population.
  • To determine if predation pressure drives negative frequency-dependent selection in adders (Vipera berus).
  • To provide long-term evidence for NFDS in a natural setting.

Main Methods:

  • A 37-year study (1984-2020) of a wild adder population on Hallands Väderö, Sweden.
  • Observation and analysis of two distinct color morphs: zigzag and melanistic.
  • Statistical analysis to assess the relationship between phenotype frequency and fitness, considering predation as a selective force.

Main Results:

  • The study provides strong evidence for negative frequency-dependent selection maintaining color pattern polymorphism in adders.
  • This phenomenon was observed in both male and female adders within the studied population.
  • The findings document NFDS driven by natural selection (predation) in a wild, undisturbed vertebrate population for the first time.

Conclusions:

  • Negative frequency-dependent selection is a key factor maintaining color pattern diversity in the studied adder population.
  • Predation acts as a significant selective pressure, favoring rarer color morphs and thus preserving polymorphism.
  • This research offers a crucial empirical example of NFDS in a natural vertebrate system.