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FITNESS EFFECTS OF A SELFISH GENE (THE MUS T COMPLEX) ARE REVEALED IN AN ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT
Author(s) -
Carroll Lara S.,
Meagher Shawn,
Morrison Linda,
Penn Dustin J.,
Potts Wayne K.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.84
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1558-5646
pISSN - 0014-3820
DOI - 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2004.tb01710.x
Subject(s) - biology , context (archaeology) , population , selection (genetic algorithm) , mendelian inheritance , genetics , evolutionary biology , balancing selection , meiotic drive , zoology , ecology , gene , demography , genetic variation , meiosis , paleontology , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science
In wild house mice, genes linked to the t transmission distortion complex cause meiotic drive by sabotaging wild‐type gametes. The t complex is consequently inherited at frequencies higher than 90%. Yet, for unclear reasons, in wild mouse populations this selfish DNA is found at frequencies much lower than expected. Here, we examine selection on the t complex in 10 seminatural populations of wild mice based on data from 234 founders and nearly 2000 progeny. Eight of the 10 populations decreased in t frequency over one generation, and the overall frequency of t haplotypes across all 10 populations was 48.5% below expectations based on transmission distortion and 34.3% below Mendelian (or Hardy‐Weinberg) expectations. Behavioral and reproductive data were collected for 10 months for each population, and microsatellite genotyping was performed on seven of the populations to determine parentage. These combined data show t ‐associated fitness declines in both males and females. This is the first study to show evidence for a reduction in the ability of + / t males to maintain territories. Because females tend to mate with dominant males, impairment of territorial success can explain much of the selection against t observed in our populations. In nature, selection against heterozygote carriers of the t complex helps solve the puzzlingly low t frequencies found in wild populations. This ecological approach for determining fitness consequences of genetic variants has broad application for the discovery of gene function in general.