Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Testing natural selection vs. genetic drift in phenotypic evolution using quantitative trait locus data

H A Orr1

  • 1Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA. haorr@urhep.pas.rochester.edu

Genetics
|August 5, 1998
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The genetics of adaptation: a reassessment.

The American naturalist·2009
Same author

Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities and adaptation to a shared environment.

Heredity·2009
Same author

The evolution of postzygotic isolation: accumulating Dobzhansky-Muller incompatibilities.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2001
Same author

Complex epistasis and the genetic basis of hybrid sterility in the Drosophila pseudoobscura Bogota-USA hybridization.

Genetics·2001
Same author

The "sizes" of mutations fixed in phenotypic evolution: a response to Clarke and Arthur.

Evolution & development·2001
Same author

Haldane's sieve and adaptation from the standing genetic variation.

Genetics·2001

This study introduces a new method using quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis to distinguish between natural selection and genetic drift in evolutionary biology. The proposed sign test can identify if natural selection drove observed phenotypic differences between species.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics
  • Quantitative Genetics

Background:

  • Distinguishing evolutionary forces (natural selection vs. genetic drift) is a central challenge.
  • Phenotypic differences between taxa can arise from various evolutionary mechanisms.
  • Existing methods may not always clearly differentiate between selection and drift.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a novel method for testing the null hypothesis of neutral phenotypic evolution.
  • To utilize quantitative trait locus (QTL) data to infer the role of natural selection.
  • To provide a statistical framework for analyzing the genetic basis of phenotypic divergence.

Main Methods:

  • Employing quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis.
  • Developing a sign test to compare observed allele frequencies with neutral expectations.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Conditioning the analysis on the magnitude of the phenotypic difference between taxa.

    • Main Results:

    • The proposed sign test provides a statistical framework to reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis of neutral evolution.
    • Rejection of the null hypothesis indicates a significant role for directional natural selection.
    • The method is broadly applicable across diverse organisms and traits amenable to QTL mapping.

    Conclusions:

    • QTL data can be effectively used to test hypotheses about phenotypic evolution.
    • The sign test offers a powerful tool to infer natural selection as a driver of phenotypic change.
    • This approach advances our ability to understand the genetic architecture of adaptation.