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Evolution of sex: Using experimental genomics to select among competing theories
Author(s) -
Sharp Nathaniel P.,
Otto Sarah P.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.201600074
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , evolutionary biology , genomics , selection (genetic algorithm) , adaptation (eye) , biology , evolution of sexual reproduction , variance (accounting) , experimental evolution , genetic fitness , genome , computer science , computational biology , biological evolution , genetics , machine learning , paleontology , accounting , neuroscience , business , gene
Few topics have intrigued biologists as much as the evolution of sex. Understanding why sex persists despite its costs requires not just rigorous theoretical study, but also empirical data on related fundamental issues, including the nature of genetic variance for fitness, patterns of genetic interactions, and the dynamics of adaptation. The increasing feasibility of examining genomes in an experimental context is now shedding new light on these problems. Using this approach, McDonald et al. recently demonstrated that sex uncouples beneficial and deleterious mutations, allowing selection to proceed more effectively with sex than without. Here we discuss the insights provided by this study, along with other recent empirical work, in the context of the major theoretical models for the evolution of sex.