Many traits of interest are highly heritable and genetically complex, meaning that much of the variation they exhibit arises from differences at numerous loci in the genome. Complex traits and their ...evolution have been studied for more than a century, but only in the last decade have genome-wide association studies (GWASs) in humans begun to reveal their genetic basis. Here, we bring these threads of research together to ask how findings from GWASs can further our understanding of the processes that give rise to heritable variation in complex traits and of the genetic basis of complex trait evolution in response to changing selection pressures (i.e., of polygenic adaptation). Conversely, we ask how evolutionary thinking helps us to interpret findings from GWASs and informs related efforts of practical importance.
Significance Why do species’ ranges often end when no obvious change in the environment suggests they should? Our theory explains that there is an inherent limit to adaptation arising in any (finite) ...natural population and identifies the key parameters that determine this limit to a species’ range. Two observable parameters describe the threshold when adaptation fails: ( i ) the loss of fitness due to dispersal to a different environment, and ( ii ) the efficacy of selection relative to stochastic effects in finite populations.
Why do species not adapt to ever-wider ranges of conditions, gradually expanding their ecological niche and geographic range? Gene flow across environments has two conflicting effects: although it increases genetic variation, which is a prerequisite for adaptation, gene flow may swamp adaptation to local conditions. In 1956, Haldane proposed that, when the environment varies across space, “swamping” by gene flow creates a positive feedback between low population size and maladaptation, leading to a sharp range margin. However, current deterministic theory shows that, when variance can evolve, there is no such limit. Using simple analytical tools and simulations, we show that genetic drift can generate a sharp margin to a species’ range, by reducing genetic variance below the level needed for adaptation to spatially variable conditions. Aided by separation of ecological and evolutionary timescales, the identified effective dimensionless parameters reveal a simple threshold that predicts when adaptation at the range margin fails. Two observable parameters determine the threshold: ( i ) the effective environmental gradient, which can be measured by the loss of fitness due to dispersal to a different environment; and ( ii ) the efficacy of selection relative to genetic drift. The theory predicts sharp range margins even in the absence of abrupt changes in the environment. Furthermore, it implies that gradual worsening of conditions across a species’ habitat may lead to a sudden range fragmentation, when adaptation to a wide span of conditions within a single species becomes impossible.
The sources of adaptive variation Charlesworth, Deborah; Barton, Nicholas H.; Charlesworth, Brian
Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological sciences/Proceedings - Royal Society. Biological Sciences,
05/2017, Letnik:
284, Številka:
1855
Journal Article
Recenzirano
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The role of natural selection in the evolution of adaptive phenotypes has undergone constant probing by evolutionary biologists, employing both theoretical and empirical approaches. As Darwin noted, ...natural selection can act together with other processes, including random changes in the frequencies of phenotypic differences that are not under strong selection, and changes in the environment, which may reflect evolutionary changes in the organisms themselves. As understanding of genetics developed after 1900, the new genetic discoveries were incorporated into evolutionary biology. The resulting general principles were summarized by Julian Huxley in his 1942 book Evolution: the modern synthesis. Here, we examine how recent advances in genetics, developmental biology and molecular biology, including epigenetics, relate to today's understanding of the evolution of adaptations. We illustrate how careful genetic studies have repeatedly shown that apparently puzzling results in a wide diversity of organisms involve processes that are consistent with neo-Darwinism. They do not support important roles in adaptation for processes such as directed mutation or the inheritance of acquired characters, and therefore no radical revision of our understanding of the mechanism of adaptive evolution is needed.
On the completion of speciation Barton, Nicholas H
Philosophical transactions - Royal Society. Biological sciences,
08/2020, Letnik:
375, Številka:
1806
Journal Article
Dengue-suppressing Wolbachia strains are promising tools for arbovirus control, particularly as they have the potential to self-spread following local introductions. To test this, we followed the ...frequency of the transinfected Wolbachia strain wMel through Ae. aegypti in Cairns, Australia, following releases at 3 nonisolated locations within the city in early 2013. Spatial spread was analysed graphically using interpolation and by fitting a statistical model describing the position and width of the wave. For the larger 2 of the 3 releases (covering 0.97 km2 and 0.52 km2), we observed slow but steady spatial spread, at about 100-200 m per year, roughly consistent with theoretical predictions. In contrast, the smallest release (0.11 km2) produced erratic temporal and spatial dynamics, with little evidence of spread after 2 years. This is consistent with the prediction concerning fitness-decreasing Wolbachia transinfections that a minimum release area is needed to achieve stable local establishment and spread in continuous habitats. Our graphical and likelihood analyses produced broadly consistent estimates of wave speed and wave width. Spread at all sites was spatially heterogeneous, suggesting that environmental heterogeneity will affect large-scale Wolbachia transformations of urban mosquito populations. The persistence and spread of Wolbachia in release areas meeting minimum area requirements indicates the promise of successful large-scale population transformation.
The “New Synthesis” Barton, Nicholas H.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS,
07/2022, Letnik:
119, Številka:
30
Journal Article
Recenzirano
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When Mendel’s work was rediscovered in 1900, and extended to establish classical genetics, it was initially seen in opposition to Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection on continuous ...variation, as represented by the biometric research program that was the foundation of quantitative genetics. As Fisher, Haldane, and Wright established a century ago, Mendelian inheritance is exactly what is needed for natural selection to work efficiently. Yet, the synthesis remains unfinished. We do not understand why sexual reproduction and a fair meiosis predominate in eukaryotes, or how far these are responsible for their diversity and complexity. Moreover, although quantitative geneticists have long known that adaptive variation is highly polygenic, and that this is essential for efficient selection, this is only now becoming appreciated by molecular biologists—and we still do not have a good framework for understanding polygenic variation or diffuse function.
The term “haplotype block” is commonly used in the developing field of haplotype‐based inference methods. We argue that the term should be defined based on the structure of the Ancestral ...Recombination Graph (ARG), which contains complete information on the ancestry of a sample. We use simulated examples to demonstrate key features of the relationship between haplotype blocks and ancestral structure, emphasizing the stochasticity of the processes that generate them. Even the simplest cases of neutrality or of a “hard” selective sweep produce a rich structure, often missed by commonly used statistics. We highlight a number of novel methods for inferring haplotype structure, based on the full ARG, or on a sequence of trees, and illustrate how they can be used to define haplotype blocks using an empirical data set. While the advent of new, computationally efficient methods makes it possible to apply these concepts broadly, they (and additional new methods) could benefit from adding features to explore haplotype blocks, as we define them. Understanding and applying the concept of the haplotype block will be essential to fully exploit long and linked‐read sequencing technologies.
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