Characterizing the evolution of genetic variance using genetic covariance tensors.

ABSTRACT: Determining how genetic variance changes under selection in natural populations has proved to be a very resilient problem in evolutionary genetics. In the same way that understanding the availability of genetic variance within populations requires the simultaneous consideration of genetic variance in sets of functionally related traits, determining how genetic variance changes under selection in natural populations will require ascertaining how genetic variance-covariance (G) matrices evolve. Here, we develop a geometric framework using higher-order tensors, which enables the empirical characterization of how G matrices have diverged among populations. We then show how divergence among populations in genetic covariance structure can then be associated with divergence in selection acting on

SUBMITTER: Hine E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2691006 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature