Sex and Deleterious Mutations

The evolutionary advantage of sexual reproduction has been considered as one of the most pressing questions in evolutionary biology. While a pluralistic view of the evolution of sex and recombination has been suggested by some, here we take a simpler view and try to quantify the conditions under whi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Genetics (Austin) 2008-05, Vol.179 (1), p.621-626
Main Authors: Gordo, Isabel, Campos, Paulo R. A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Binomial distribution
Biological Evolution
Computer Simulation
Environmental conditions
Equilibrium
Genetics, Population
Investigations
Models, Genetic
Mutation
Mutation - genetics
Poisson distribution
Population genetics
Recombination, Genetic - genetics
Sex
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Summary:The evolutionary advantage of sexual reproduction has been considered as one of the most pressing questions in evolutionary biology. While a pluralistic view of the evolution of sex and recombination has been suggested by some, here we take a simpler view and try to quantify the conditions under which sex can evolve given a set of minimal assumptions. Since real populations are finite and also subject to recurrent deleterious mutations, this minimal model should apply generally to all populations. We show that the maximum advantage of recombination occurs for an intermediate value of the deleterious effect of mutations. Furthermore we show that the conditions under which the biggest advantage of sex is achieved are those that produce the fastest fitness decline in the corresponding asexual population and are therefore the conditions for which Muller's ratchet has the strongest effect. We also show that the selective advantage of a modifier of the recombination rate depends on its strength. The quantification of the range of selective effects that favors recombination then leads us to suggest that, if in stressful environments the effect of deleterious mutations is enhanced, a connection between sex and stress could be expected, as it is found in several species.
ISSN:0016-6731
1943-2631
1943-2631
DOI:10.1534/genetics.108.086637