Negative frequency dependent selection unites ecology and evolution
Abstract From genes to communities, understanding how diversity is maintained remains a fundamental question in biology. One challenging to identify, yet potentially ubiquitous, mechanism for the maintenance of diversity is negative frequency dependent selection (NFDS), which occurs when entities (e...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10327 |
| _version_ | 1797357914063634432 |
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| author | Mark R. Christie Gordon G. McNickle |
| author_facet | Mark R. Christie Gordon G. McNickle |
| author_sort | Mark R. Christie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract From genes to communities, understanding how diversity is maintained remains a fundamental question in biology. One challenging to identify, yet potentially ubiquitous, mechanism for the maintenance of diversity is negative frequency dependent selection (NFDS), which occurs when entities (e.g., genotypes, life history strategies, species) experience a per capita reduction in fitness with increases in relative abundance. Because NFDS allows rare entities to increase in frequency while preventing abundant entities from excluding others, we posit that negative frequency dependent selection plays a central role in the maintenance of diversity. In this review, we relate NFDS to coexistence, identify mechanisms of NFDS (e.g., mutualism, predation, parasitism), review strategies for identifying NFDS, and distinguish NFDS from other mechanisms of coexistence (e.g., storage effects, fluctuating selection). We also emphasize that NFDS is a key place where ecology and evolution intersect. Specifically, there are many examples of frequency dependent processes in ecology, but fewer cases that link this process to selection. Similarly, there are many examples of selection in evolution, but fewer cases that link changes in trait values to negative frequency dependence. Bridging these two well‐developed fields of ecology and evolution will allow for mechanistic insights into the maintenance of diversity at multiple levels. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:52:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5aae7ae1a81647d9a7c74d867c3ee717 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:52:22Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-5aae7ae1a81647d9a7c74d867c3ee7172024-01-11T02:50:01ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582023-07-01137n/an/a10.1002/ece3.10327Negative frequency dependent selection unites ecology and evolutionMark R. Christie0Gordon G. McNickle1Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana USADepartment of Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette Indiana USAAbstract From genes to communities, understanding how diversity is maintained remains a fundamental question in biology. One challenging to identify, yet potentially ubiquitous, mechanism for the maintenance of diversity is negative frequency dependent selection (NFDS), which occurs when entities (e.g., genotypes, life history strategies, species) experience a per capita reduction in fitness with increases in relative abundance. Because NFDS allows rare entities to increase in frequency while preventing abundant entities from excluding others, we posit that negative frequency dependent selection plays a central role in the maintenance of diversity. In this review, we relate NFDS to coexistence, identify mechanisms of NFDS (e.g., mutualism, predation, parasitism), review strategies for identifying NFDS, and distinguish NFDS from other mechanisms of coexistence (e.g., storage effects, fluctuating selection). We also emphasize that NFDS is a key place where ecology and evolution intersect. Specifically, there are many examples of frequency dependent processes in ecology, but fewer cases that link this process to selection. Similarly, there are many examples of selection in evolution, but fewer cases that link changes in trait values to negative frequency dependence. Bridging these two well‐developed fields of ecology and evolution will allow for mechanistic insights into the maintenance of diversity at multiple levels.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10327balancing selectionbiodiversitycoexistencediversityevolutionary ecologygenetic diversity |
| spellingShingle | Mark R. Christie Gordon G. McNickle Negative frequency dependent selection unites ecology and evolution Ecology and Evolution balancing selection biodiversity coexistence diversity evolutionary ecology genetic diversity |
| title | Negative frequency dependent selection unites ecology and evolution |
| title_full | Negative frequency dependent selection unites ecology and evolution |
| title_fullStr | Negative frequency dependent selection unites ecology and evolution |
| title_full_unstemmed | Negative frequency dependent selection unites ecology and evolution |
| title_short | Negative frequency dependent selection unites ecology and evolution |
| title_sort | negative frequency dependent selection unites ecology and evolution |
| topic | balancing selection biodiversity coexistence diversity evolutionary ecology genetic diversity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10327 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT markrchristie negativefrequencydependentselectionunitesecologyandevolution AT gordongmcnickle negativefrequencydependentselectionunitesecologyandevolution |