Experiments on the role of deleterious mutations as stepping stones in adaptive evolution.

ABSTRACT: Many evolutionary studies assume that deleterious mutations necessarily impede adaptive evolution. However, a later mutation that is conditionally beneficial may interact with a deleterious predecessor before it is eliminated, thereby providing access to adaptations that might otherwise be inaccessible. It is unknown whether such sign-epistatic recoveries are inconsequential events or an important factor in evolution, owing to the difficulty of monitoring the effects and fates of all mutations during experiments with biological organisms. Here, we used digital organisms to compare the extent of adaptive evolution in populations when deleterious mutations were disallowed with control populations in which such mutations were allowed. Significantly higher fitness levels were achieved over the

SUBMITTER: Covert AW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3752215 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature