Sign of selection on mutation rate modifiers depends on population size.

ABSTRACT: The influence of population size (N) on natural selection acting on alleles that affect fitness has been understood for almost a century. As N declines, genetic drift overwhelms selection and alleles with direct fitness effects are rendered neutral. Often, however, alleles experience so-called indirect selection, meaning they affect not the fitness of an individual but the fitness distribution of its offspring. Some of the best-studied examples of indirect selection include alleles that modify aspects of the genetic system such as recombination and mutation rates. Here, we use analytics, simulations, and experimental populations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to examine the influence of N on indirect selection acting on alleles that increase the genomic mutation ra

SUBMITTER: Raynes Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5879664 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature