Adaptation and genetic conflict
<p>Genes that increase organism fitness can come to prominence as a result of natural selection, leading to the appearance of organismal design, or ‘adaptation’. However, genes that compromise organism fitness can also come to prominence if they are able to secure a selfish propagation advanta...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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2019
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| _version_ | 1826296498377195520 |
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| author | Scott, TW |
| author2 | West, S |
| author_facet | West, S Scott, TW |
| author_sort | Scott, TW |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>Genes that increase organism fitness can come to prominence as a result of natural selection, leading to the appearance of organismal design, or ‘adaptation’. However, genes that compromise organism fitness can also come to prominence if they are able to secure a selfish propagation advantage from doing so. Such genes are called ‘selfish genetic elements’. I consider the consequences of selfish genetic elements for organismal design (adaptation). First, I consider a fungus in which – strikingly – different nuclei in the same individual may be genetically different from each other (‘chimera’). I show how such diversity could be maintained by natural selection, and what consequences this has on the organism. Second, I consider, in general and in a range of specific biological scenarios, whether selfish genetic elements might be expected to gain control of organism traits. I show that the ‘parliament of genes’ is generally effective in suppressing selfish genetic elements, meaning organism design is generally preserved. Third, I ask whether animals can, in principle, evolve to recognise kin via genetic cues. I show they often can, as long as genetic kin discrimination is favoured, over indiscriminate cooperation and indiscriminate defection, at the individual level (it maximises individual fitness).</p>
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T04:17:16Z |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oxford-uuid:c9ce77bd-afcf-434a-b3d3-4d02746dd13c |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T04:17:16Z |
| publishDate | 2019 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:c9ce77bd-afcf-434a-b3d3-4d02746dd13c2022-03-27T07:02:27ZAdaptation and genetic conflictThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:c9ce77bd-afcf-434a-b3d3-4d02746dd13cPopulation geneticsSocial evolutionEvolutionary theoryEnglishHyrax Deposit2019Scott, TWWest, SGriffin, AÚbeda, F<p>Genes that increase organism fitness can come to prominence as a result of natural selection, leading to the appearance of organismal design, or ‘adaptation’. However, genes that compromise organism fitness can also come to prominence if they are able to secure a selfish propagation advantage from doing so. Such genes are called ‘selfish genetic elements’. I consider the consequences of selfish genetic elements for organismal design (adaptation). First, I consider a fungus in which – strikingly – different nuclei in the same individual may be genetically different from each other (‘chimera’). I show how such diversity could be maintained by natural selection, and what consequences this has on the organism. Second, I consider, in general and in a range of specific biological scenarios, whether selfish genetic elements might be expected to gain control of organism traits. I show that the ‘parliament of genes’ is generally effective in suppressing selfish genetic elements, meaning organism design is generally preserved. Third, I ask whether animals can, in principle, evolve to recognise kin via genetic cues. I show they often can, as long as genetic kin discrimination is favoured, over indiscriminate cooperation and indiscriminate defection, at the individual level (it maximises individual fitness).</p> |
| spellingShingle | Population genetics Social evolution Evolutionary theory Scott, TW Adaptation and genetic conflict |
| title | Adaptation and genetic conflict |
| title_full | Adaptation and genetic conflict |
| title_fullStr | Adaptation and genetic conflict |
| title_full_unstemmed | Adaptation and genetic conflict |
| title_short | Adaptation and genetic conflict |
| title_sort | adaptation and genetic conflict |
| topic | Population genetics Social evolution Evolutionary theory |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT scotttw adaptationandgeneticconflict |