Does effective population size affect rates of molecular evolution: Mitochondrial data for host/parasite species pairs in bees suggests not.

ABSTRACT: Adaptive evolutionary theory argues that organisms with larger effective population size (N _e) should have higher rates of adaptive evolution and therefore greater capacity to win evolutionary arm races. However, in some certain cases, species with much smaller N _e may be able to survive besides their opponents for an extensive evolutionary time. Neutral theory predicts that accelerated rates of molecular evolution in organisms with exceedingly small N _e are due to the effects of genetic drift and fixation of slightly deleterious mutations. We test this prediction in two obligate social parasite species and their respective host species from the bee tribe Allodapini. The parasites (genus Inquilina) have been locked into tight coe

SUBMITTER: Shokri Bousjein N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8820120 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature