Demonstration of the Selective Advantage of Mimetic Limenitis Butterflies Presented to Caged Avian Predators

Evolution ◽  
1971 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin P. Platt ◽  
Raymond P. Coppinger ◽  
Lincoln P. Brower
Keyword(s):  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Avian Predators

scholarly journals DEMONSTRATION OF THE SELECTIVE ADVANTAGE OF MIMETIC LIMENITIS BUTTERFLIES PRESENTED TO CAGED AVIAN PREDATORS

Evolution ◽  
1971 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin P. Platt ◽  
Raymond P. Coppinger ◽  
Lincoln P. Brower
Keyword(s):  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Avian Predators

scholarly journals Avian predators taste–reject aposematic prey on the basis of their chemical defence

2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 348-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Skelhorn ◽  
Candy Rowe
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Defence ◽  
Warning Signal ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Evolutionary Stability ◽  
Theoretical Problem ◽  
Chemical Production ◽  
Warning Coloration ◽  
Avian Predators ◽  
Unpalatable Prey ◽  
Evolutionarily Stable

Avian predators learn to avoid defended insects on the basis of their conspicuous warning coloration. In many aposematic species, the level of chemical defence varies, with some individuals being more defended than others. Sequestration and production of defence chemicals is often costly and therefore less defended individuals enjoy the benefits of the warning signal without paying the full costs of chemical production. This is a fundamental theoretical problem for the evolutionary stability of aposematism, since less defended individuals appear to be at a selective advantage. However, if predators sample aposematic prey and selectively reject individuals on the basis of their chemical investment, aposematism could become evolutionarily stable. Previous research aimed at testing whether birds can use taste to discriminate between palatable and unpalatable prey has been confounded by other experimental factors. Here, we show that birds can taste and reject prey entirely on the basis of an individual's level of chemical defence and more importantly, they can make decisions on whether or not to consume a defended individual based upon their level of chemical investment. We discuss these results in relation to the evolution of aposematism, mimicry and defence chemistry.

scholarly journals Sequence Variation and Haplotype Structure at the HumanHFELocus

Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 161 (4) ◽  
pp. 1609-1623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Toomajian ◽  
Martin Kreitman
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Nucleotide Diversity ◽  
Sequence Variation ◽  
Hla Class I ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Iron Regulation ◽  
Intragenic Recombination ◽  
Nucleotide Variability ◽  
Show Evidence

AbstractThe HFE locus encodes an HLA class-I-type protein important in iron regulation and segregates replacement mutations that give rise to the most common form of genetic hemochromatosis. The high frequency of one disease-associated mutation, C282Y, and the nature of this disease have led some to suggest a selective advantage for this mutation. To investigate the context in which this mutation arose and gain a better understanding of HFE genetic variation, we surveyed nucleotide variability in 11.2 kb encompassing the HFE locus and experimentally determined haplotypes. We fully resequenced 60 chromosomes of African, Asian, or European ancestry as well as one chimpanzee, revealing 41 variable sites and a nucleotide diversity of 0.08%. This indicates that linkage to the HLA region has not substantially increased the level of HFE variation. Although several haplotypes are shared between populations, one haplotype predominates in Asia but is nearly absent elsewhere, causing higher than average genetic differentiation among the three major populations. Our samples show evidence of intragenic recombination, so the scarcity of recombination events within the C282Y allele class is consistent with selection increasing the frequency of a young allele. Otherwise, the pattern of variability in this region does not clearly indicate the action of positive selection at this or linked loci.

scholarly journals Prediction of Genetic Contributions and Generation Intervals in Populations With Overlapping Generations Under Selection

Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 151 (3) ◽  
pp. 1197-1210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piter Bijma ◽  
John A Woolliams
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Overlapping Generations ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Breeding Value ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Generation Interval ◽  
Young Parents ◽  
Genetic Contributions

Abstract A method to predict long-term genetic contributions of ancestors to future generations is studied in detail for a population with overlapping generations under mass or sib index selection. An existing method provides insight into the mechanisms determining the flow of genes through selected populations, and takes account of selection by modeling the long-term genetic contribution as a linear regression on breeding value. Total genetic contributions of age classes are modeled using a modified gene flow approach and long-term predictions are obtained assuming equilibrium genetic parameters. Generation interval was defined as the time in which genetic contributions sum to unity, which is equal to the turnover time of genes. Accurate predictions of long-term genetic contributions of individual animals, as well as total contributions of age classes were obtained. Due to selection, offspring of young parents had an above-average breeding value. Long-term genetic contributions of youngest age classes were therefore higher than expected from the age class distribution of parents, and generation interval was shorter than the average age of parents at birth of their offspring. Due to an increased selective advantage of offspring of young parents, generation interval decreased with increasing heritability and selection intensity. The method was compared to conventional gene flow and showed more accurate predictions of long-term genetic contributions.

scholarly journals The Effect of Deleterious Alleles on Adaptation in Asexual Populations

Genetics ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 162 (1) ◽  
pp. 395-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toby Johnson ◽  
Nick H Barton
Keyword(s):  
Selective Sweep ◽  
Deleterious Mutation ◽  
Short Interval ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Asexual Population ◽  
Restrictive Assumption ◽  
Deleterious Alleles ◽  
Fixation Probabilities ◽  
Asexual Populations ◽  
Beneficial Allele

Abstract We calculate the fixation probability of a beneficial allele that arises as the result of a unique mutation in an asexual population that is subject to recurrent deleterious mutation at rate U. Our analysis is an extension of previous works, which make a biologically restrictive assumption that selection against deleterious alleles is stronger than that on the beneficial allele of interest. We show that when selection against deleterious alleles is weak, beneficial alleles that confer a selective advantage that is small relative to U have greatly reduced probabilities of fixation. We discuss the consequences of this effect for the distribution of effects of alleles fixed during adaptation. We show that a selective sweep will increase the fixation probabilities of other beneficial mutations arising during some short interval afterward. We use the calculated fixation probabilities to estimate the expected rate of fitness improvement in an asexual population when beneficial alleles arise continually at some low rate proportional to U. We estimate the rate of mutation that is optimal in the sense that it maximizes this rate of fitness improvement. Again, this analysis relaxes the assumption made previously that selection against deleterious alleles is stronger than on beneficial alleles.

scholarly journals Generalized olfactory detection of floral volatiles in the highly specialized Greya-Lithophragma nursery pollination system

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian P. Schiestl ◽  
Erika A. Wallin ◽  
John J. Beck ◽  
Magne Friberg ◽  
John N. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Floral Volatiles ◽  
Pollination System ◽  
Allopatric Populations ◽  
Evolutionary Scenario ◽  
Plant Recognition ◽  
Hexahydrofarnesyl Acetone ◽  
Electroantennographic Detection ◽  
Local Host ◽  
Olfactory Detection

AbstractVolatiles are of key importance for host-plant recognition in insects. In the pollination system of Lithophragma flowers and Greya moths, moths are highly specialized on Lithophragma, in which they oviposit and thereby pollinate the flowers. Floral volatiles in Lithophragma are highly variable between species and populations, and moths prefer to oviposit into Lithophragma flowers from populations of the local host species. Here we used gas chromatography coupled with electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) to test whether Greya moths detect specific key volatiles or respond broadly to many volatiles of Lithophragma flowers. We also addressed whether olfactory detection in Greya moths varies across populations, consistent with a co-evolutionary scenario. We analyzed flower volatile samples from three different species and five populations of Lithophragma occurring across a 1400 km range in the Western USA, and their sympatric female Greya politella moths. We showed that Greya politella detect a broad range of Lithophragma volatiles, with a total of 23 compounds being EAD active. We chemically identified 15 of these, including the chiral 6, 10, 14-trimethylpentadecan-2-one (hexahydrofarnesyl acetone), which was not previously detected in Lithophragma. All investigated Lithophragma species produced the (6R, 10R)-enantiomer of this compound. We showed that Greya moths detected not only volatiles of their local Lithophragma plants, but also those from allopatric populations/species that they not encounter in local populations. In conclusion, the generalized detection of volatiles and a lack of co-divergence between volatiles and olfactory detection may be of selective advantage for moths in tracking hosts with rapidly evolving, chemically diverse floral volatiles.

scholarly journals Recombination Can Evolve in Large Finite Populations Given Selection on Sufficient Loci

Genetics ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 165 (4) ◽  
pp. 2249-2258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark M Iles ◽  
Kevin Walters ◽  
Chris Cannings
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Genetic Drift ◽  
Finite Population ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Indirect Selection ◽  
Small Populations ◽  
Finite Populations ◽  
Population Sizes ◽  
Population Recombination

AbstractIt is well known that an allele causing increased recombination is expected to proliferate as a result of genetic drift in a finite population undergoing selection, without requiring other mechanisms. This is supported by recent simulations apparently demonstrating that, in small populations, drift is more important than epistasis in increasing recombination, with this effect disappearing in larger finite populations. However, recent experimental evidence finds a greater advantage for recombination in larger populations. These results are reconciled by demonstrating through simulation without epistasis that for m loci recombination has an appreciable selective advantage over a range of population sizes (am, bm). bm increases steadily with m while am remains fairly static. Thus, however large the finite population, if selection acts on sufficiently many loci, an allele that increases recombination is selected for. We show that as selection acts on our finite population, recombination increases the variance in expected log fitness, causing indirect selection on a recombination-modifying locus. This effect is enhanced in those populations with more loci because the variance in phenotypic fitnesses in relation to the possible range will be smaller. Thus fixation of a particular haplotype is less likely to occur, increasing the advantage of recombination.

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