The evolutionary consequences of selection at the haploid gametic stage

Immler, Simone and Otto, Sarah P. (2018) The evolutionary consequences of selection at the haploid gametic stage. The American Naturalist, 192 (2). pp. 241-249. ISSN 0003-0147

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Abstract

As an immediate consequence of sexual reproduction, biphasic life cycles with alternating diploid and haploid phases are a common characteristic of sexually reproducing eukaryotes. Much of our focus in evolutionary biology has been directed toward dynamics in diploid or haploid populations, but we rarely consider selection occurring during both phases when studying evolutionary processes. One of the reasons for this apparent omission is the fact that many flowering plants and metazoans are predominantly diploid with a very short haploid gametic phase. While this gametic phase may be short, it can play a crucial role in fundamental processes including the rate of adaptation, the load of mutation, and the evolution of features such as recombination. In addition, if selection acts in different directions between the two phases, a genetic conflict will occur, impacting the maintenance of genetic variation. Here we provide an overview of theoretical and empirical studies investigating the importance of selection at the haploid gametic phase in predominantly diploid organisms and discuss future directions to improve our understanding of the underlying dynamics and the general implications of haploid selection.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	biphasic life cycle,sexual reproduction,eukaryotes,haploid selection
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Organisms and the Environment Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation
Depositing User:	Pure Connector
Date Deposited:	19 Apr 2018 08:30
Last Modified:	09 Oct 2024 13:34
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/66802
DOI:	10.1086/698483

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