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META‐ANALYSES OF THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MULTILOCUS HETEROZYGOSITY AND FITNESS
Author(s) -
Britten Hugh B.
Publication year - 1996
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.1558-5646.1996.tb03606.x
Subject(s) - biology , loss of heterozygosity , overdominance , fluctuating asymmetry , correlation , evolutionary biology , homogeneous , genetics , selection (genetic algorithm) , genetic correlation , genetic variation , allele , gene , geometry , mathematics , physics , artificial intelligence , computer science , thermodynamics
Meta‐analyses of published correlation coefficients between multilocus heterozygosity (MLH) and two fitness surrogates, growth rate and fluctuating asymmetry, suggested that the strength of these correlations are generally weak. A variety of plants and animals was included in the meta‐analyses. A statistically homogeneous group of MLH–growth rate correlation coefficients that included both plants and animals yielded a common correlation of r z = 0.133. A common correlation of r z = –0.170 was estimated for correlations between MLH and fluctuating asymmetry in three species of salmonid fishes. These results suggest that selection, including overdominance, has at most a weak effect at allozyme loci and cast some doubt on the widely held notion that heterozygosity and individual fitness are strongly correlated.