Sex initiates adaptive evolution by recombination between beneficial loci
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Scheuerl, T
Stelzer, C-P
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Current theory proposes that sex can increase genetic variation and produce high fitness genotypes if genetic associations between alleles at different loci are non-random. In case beneficial and deleterious alleles at different loci are in linkage disequilibrium, sex may i) recombine beneficial alleles of different loci, ii) liberate beneficial alleles from genetic backgrounds of low fitness, or iii) recombine deleterious mutations for more effective elimination. In our study, we found that the first mechanism dominated the initial phase of adaptive evolution in Brachionus calyciflorus rotifers during a natural selection experiment. We used populations that had been locally adapted to two environments previously, creating a linkage disequilibrium between beneficial and deleterious alleles at different loci in a combined environment. We observed the highest fitness increase when several beneficial alleles of different loci could be recombined, while the other mechanisms were ineffective. Our study thus provides evidence for the hypothesis that sex can speed up adaptation by recombination between beneficial alleles of different loci, in particular during early stages of adaptive evolution in our system. We also suggest that the benefits of sex might change over time and state of adaptive progress.
Date Issued
2017-06-02
Date Acceptance
2017-05-04
Citation
PLOS ONE, 2017, 12 (6)
ISSN
1932-6203
Publisher
PUBLIC LIBRARY OF SCIENCE
Journal / Book Title
PLOS ONE
Volume
12
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
© 2017 Scheuerl, Stelzer. This is an
open access article distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original
author and source are credited.
open access article distributed under the terms of
the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which
permits unrestricted use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original
author and source are credited.
Sponsor
British Ecological Society
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000402624300020&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Grant Number
NCP081
Subjects
Science & Technology
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Science & Technology - Other Topics
DELETERIOUS MUTATIONS
MONOGONONT ROTIFERS
YEAST POPULATIONS
SPEEDS ADAPTATION
SELECTION
LINKAGE
REPRODUCTION
DIAPAUSE
DYNAMICS
MD Multidisciplinary
General Science & Technology
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN e0177895