Benoît Goossens, Lounès Chikhi, Mohd. Fairus Jalil, Sheena James, Marc Ancrenaz, Isabelle Lackman-Ancrenaz, and Michael W. Bruford
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199213276
- eISBN:
- 9780191707568
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213276.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Animal Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This chapter reviews the published data and discusses the taxonomy and population genetics of orangutans. The orangutan was traditionally classified as two separate subspecies, Pongo pygmaeus ...
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This chapter reviews the published data and discusses the taxonomy and population genetics of orangutans. The orangutan was traditionally classified as two separate subspecies, Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus in Borneo and P. p. abelii in Sumatra. Recent molecular data have suggested a re-classification into two separate species: P. pygmaeus in Borneo and P. abelii in Sumatra. Moreover, three subspecies have been described on Borneo Island: P. p. pygmaeus in Sarawak and west Kalimantan, P. p. morio in Sabah and east Kalimantan and P. p. wurmbii in central and south Kalimantan. Despite this, little is known about the intra-subspecific variation between isolated Bornean populations and among the Sumatran populations. More data are needed, which should include a large sampling of all geographically separated populations in Borneo and Sumatra in order to provide a more complete genetic information database.Less
This chapter reviews the published data and discusses the taxonomy and population genetics of orangutans. The orangutan was traditionally classified as two separate subspecies, Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus in Borneo and P. p. abelii in Sumatra. Recent molecular data have suggested a re-classification into two separate species: P. pygmaeus in Borneo and P. abelii in Sumatra. Moreover, three subspecies have been described on Borneo Island: P. p. pygmaeus in Sarawak and west Kalimantan, P. p. morio in Sabah and east Kalimantan and P. p. wurmbii in central and south Kalimantan. Despite this, little is known about the intra-subspecific variation between isolated Bornean populations and among the Sumatran populations. More data are needed, which should include a large sampling of all geographically separated populations in Borneo and Sumatra in order to provide a more complete genetic information database.
David W. Macdonald and Claudio Sillero-Zubiri (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198515562
- eISBN:
- 9780191705632
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198515562.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
This book is about the dog family, covering ancestry, population genetics, society, infectious disease, and the use of tools. Fourteen case studies examine Arctic foxes, Island foxes, Swift foxes, ...
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This book is about the dog family, covering ancestry, population genetics, society, infectious disease, and the use of tools. Fourteen case studies examine Arctic foxes, Island foxes, Swift foxes, Blanford's foxes, Red foxes, Raccoon foxes, Bat-eared foxes, Patagonian foxes, Jackals, Coyotes, Grey wolves, Ethiopian wolves, Dholes, and African wild dogs. The concluding chapter looks at conservation issues.Less
This book is about the dog family, covering ancestry, population genetics, society, infectious disease, and the use of tools. Fourteen case studies examine Arctic foxes, Island foxes, Swift foxes, Blanford's foxes, Red foxes, Raccoon foxes, Bat-eared foxes, Patagonian foxes, Jackals, Coyotes, Grey wolves, Ethiopian wolves, Dholes, and African wild dogs. The concluding chapter looks at conservation issues.
Theresa M. Burg
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198569992
- eISBN:
- 9780191717802
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198569992.003.0007
- Subject:
- Biology, Ornithology
This chapter assesses the biogeography of chestnut-backed chickadees using microsatellite analysis, providing alternative scenarios for the glacial refugia and dispersal patterns that could explain ...
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This chapter assesses the biogeography of chestnut-backed chickadees using microsatellite analysis, providing alternative scenarios for the glacial refugia and dispersal patterns that could explain the present distribution of distinct, genetic populations. This chapter also considers the potential for hybridization within the brown-capped chickadees to contribute to differentiation among disjunct populations within the chestnut-backed chickadees of northwestern Canada and Alaska. The factors influencing contemporary patterns of population structure in chestnut-backed chickadees are considered, including historical range expansion and geographic distribution, while potential barriers to dispersal are discussed. The patterns found in this western North American species are compared to those of other North American and Eurasian Parids. The population structure of chestnut-backed chickadees, and that of other Parids, appears to be complex and influenced by a variety of factors, most notably postglacial colonization and distribution. Many of the factors limiting dispersal in chestnut-backed chickadees seem to be common in other Parids. These include isolation of peripheral populations, and limited dispersal over large water barriers or other areas of unsuitable habitat.Less
This chapter assesses the biogeography of chestnut-backed chickadees using microsatellite analysis, providing alternative scenarios for the glacial refugia and dispersal patterns that could explain the present distribution of distinct, genetic populations. This chapter also considers the potential for hybridization within the brown-capped chickadees to contribute to differentiation among disjunct populations within the chestnut-backed chickadees of northwestern Canada and Alaska. The factors influencing contemporary patterns of population structure in chestnut-backed chickadees are considered, including historical range expansion and geographic distribution, while potential barriers to dispersal are discussed. The patterns found in this western North American species are compared to those of other North American and Eurasian Parids. The population structure of chestnut-backed chickadees, and that of other Parids, appears to be complex and influenced by a variety of factors, most notably postglacial colonization and distribution. Many of the factors limiting dispersal in chestnut-backed chickadees seem to be common in other Parids. These include isolation of peripheral populations, and limited dispersal over large water barriers or other areas of unsuitable habitat.
Jonathan S. Friedlaender (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195300307
- eISBN:
- 9780199790142
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195300307.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
The broad arc of islands north of Australia, extending from Indonesia east towards the central Pacific, is home to a set of human populations whose diversity is unsurpassed elsewhere. Approximately ...
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The broad arc of islands north of Australia, extending from Indonesia east towards the central Pacific, is home to a set of human populations whose diversity is unsurpassed elsewhere. Approximately 20% of the world's languages are spoken here, and the biological and genetic heterogeneity among the groups is also extraordinary. This book describes the origins of the genetic and linguistic variation there. It lays out the very complex structure of the variation within and among the islands in this relatively small but important region. This book applies genetic analyses to an intensively sampled set of populations, and subjects these and complementary linguistic data to a variety of phylogenetic analyses. This reveals a number of heretofore unknown ancient Pleistocene genetic variants that are only found in these island populations, and identifies the genetic footprints of more recent migrants from Southeast Asia who were the ancestors of the Polynesians. Finally, a number of explanatory models are tested to see which best account for the observed pattern of genetic variation. The results indicate that a number of commonly used models of evolutionary divergence and biogeography are overly simple in their assumptions, and that human diversity often has accumulated in very complex ways.Less
The broad arc of islands north of Australia, extending from Indonesia east towards the central Pacific, is home to a set of human populations whose diversity is unsurpassed elsewhere. Approximately 20% of the world's languages are spoken here, and the biological and genetic heterogeneity among the groups is also extraordinary. This book describes the origins of the genetic and linguistic variation there. It lays out the very complex structure of the variation within and among the islands in this relatively small but important region. This book applies genetic analyses to an intensively sampled set of populations, and subjects these and complementary linguistic data to a variety of phylogenetic analyses. This reveals a number of heretofore unknown ancient Pleistocene genetic variants that are only found in these island populations, and identifies the genetic footprints of more recent migrants from Southeast Asia who were the ancestors of the Polynesians. Finally, a number of explanatory models are tested to see which best account for the observed pattern of genetic variation. The results indicate that a number of commonly used models of evolutionary divergence and biogeography are overly simple in their assumptions, and that human diversity often has accumulated in very complex ways.
James A.R. Marshall
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161563
- eISBN:
- 9781400866564
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161563.003.0003
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter considers a general description of natural selection: the Price equation. Developed by George Price in the late 1960s, the Price equation can be applied to the change of any quantity ...
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This chapter considers a general description of natural selection: the Price equation. Developed by George Price in the late 1960s, the Price equation can be applied to the change of any quantity under any selective regime. It is thus not limited to considering simple haploid single-locus traits, unlike the replicator dynamics, and indeed it is not even limited to considering evolutionary selection. The Price equation provides an instantaneous description of selection in action. The simplicity of the equation makes it a useful conceptual tool for understanding selective processes such as natural selection. The chapter first describes the general Price equation before discussing its use to understand genetic selection. It then shows how the Price equation can be used to derive two classical results from population and quantitative genetics: Fisher's “fundamental theorem of natural selection” and the breeder's equation.Less
This chapter considers a general description of natural selection: the Price equation. Developed by George Price in the late 1960s, the Price equation can be applied to the change of any quantity under any selective regime. It is thus not limited to considering simple haploid single-locus traits, unlike the replicator dynamics, and indeed it is not even limited to considering evolutionary selection. The Price equation provides an instantaneous description of selection in action. The simplicity of the equation makes it a useful conceptual tool for understanding selective processes such as natural selection. The chapter first describes the general Price equation before discussing its use to understand genetic selection. It then shows how the Price equation can be used to derive two classical results from population and quantitative genetics: Fisher's “fundamental theorem of natural selection” and the breeder's equation.
Christopher Dye
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691154626
- eISBN:
- 9781400866571
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691154626.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Disease Ecology / Epidemiology
Despite decades of developments in immunization and drug therapy, tuberculosis remains one of the leading causes of human mortality, and no country has successfully eradicated the disease. ...
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Despite decades of developments in immunization and drug therapy, tuberculosis remains one of the leading causes of human mortality, and no country has successfully eradicated the disease. Reenvisioning TB from the perspective of population biology, this book examines why the disease is so persistent and what must be done to fight it. Treating TB and its human hosts as dynamic, interacting populations, the book seeks new answers to key questions by drawing on demography, ecology, epidemiology, evolution, and population genetics. It uses simple mathematical models to investigate how cases and deaths could be reduced, and how interventions could lead to TB elimination. It reveals a striking gap between the actual and potential impact of current interventions, especially drug treatment, and suggests placing more emphasis on early case detection and the treatment of active or incipient TB. The book argues that the response to disappointingly slow rates of disease decline is not to abandon long-established principles of chemotherapy, but to implement them with greater vigor. Summarizing epidemiological insights from population biology, the book stresses the need to take a more inclusive view of the factors that affect disease, including characteristics of the pathogen, individuals and populations, health care systems, and physical and social environments. In broadening the horizons of TB research, the book demonstrates what must be done to prevent, control, and defeat this global threat in the twenty-first century.Less
Despite decades of developments in immunization and drug therapy, tuberculosis remains one of the leading causes of human mortality, and no country has successfully eradicated the disease. Reenvisioning TB from the perspective of population biology, this book examines why the disease is so persistent and what must be done to fight it. Treating TB and its human hosts as dynamic, interacting populations, the book seeks new answers to key questions by drawing on demography, ecology, epidemiology, evolution, and population genetics. It uses simple mathematical models to investigate how cases and deaths could be reduced, and how interventions could lead to TB elimination. It reveals a striking gap between the actual and potential impact of current interventions, especially drug treatment, and suggests placing more emphasis on early case detection and the treatment of active or incipient TB. The book argues that the response to disappointingly slow rates of disease decline is not to abandon long-established principles of chemotherapy, but to implement them with greater vigor. Summarizing epidemiological insights from population biology, the book stresses the need to take a more inclusive view of the factors that affect disease, including characteristics of the pathogen, individuals and populations, health care systems, and physical and social environments. In broadening the horizons of TB research, the book demonstrates what must be done to prevent, control, and defeat this global threat in the twenty-first century.
James A.R. Marshall
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161563
- eISBN:
- 9781400866564
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161563.003.0010
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This book has examined the genesis, the logic, and the generality of social evolution theory. In particular, it has presented evolutionary explanations of the many social behaviors we observe in the ...
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This book has examined the genesis, the logic, and the generality of social evolution theory. In particular, it has presented evolutionary explanations of the many social behaviors we observe in the natural world by showing that William D. Hamilton's inclusive fitness theory provides the necessary generalization of classical Darwin–Wallace–Fisher fitness. This concluding chapter discusses the limitations of the analyses presented in this book and assesses the empirical support for inclusive fitness theory, focusing on microbial altruism, help in cooperative breeders, reproductive restraint in eusocial species, and the evolution of eusociality and cooperative breeding. It also considers more advanced topics in social evolution theory, including sex allocation, genetic kin recognition, spite, and the evolution of organismality. Finally, it reviews theoretical approaches to studying social evolution other than replicator dynamics and the Price equation, such as population genetics, class-structured populations, and maximization approaches.Less
This book has examined the genesis, the logic, and the generality of social evolution theory. In particular, it has presented evolutionary explanations of the many social behaviors we observe in the natural world by showing that William D. Hamilton's inclusive fitness theory provides the necessary generalization of classical Darwin–Wallace–Fisher fitness. This concluding chapter discusses the limitations of the analyses presented in this book and assesses the empirical support for inclusive fitness theory, focusing on microbial altruism, help in cooperative breeders, reproductive restraint in eusocial species, and the evolution of eusociality and cooperative breeding. It also considers more advanced topics in social evolution theory, including sex allocation, genetic kin recognition, spite, and the evolution of organismality. Finally, it reviews theoretical approaches to studying social evolution other than replicator dynamics and the Price equation, such as population genetics, class-structured populations, and maximization approaches.
Kevin J. Rice and Erin K. Espeland
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520252202
- eISBN:
- 9780520933972
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520252202.003.0011
- Subject:
- Biology, Plant Sciences and Forestry
This chapter discusses the population biology and ecological genetics of native species within California grasslands, providing many important insights into the processes of microevolutionary change ...
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This chapter discusses the population biology and ecological genetics of native species within California grasslands, providing many important insights into the processes of microevolutionary change in plant populations. It describes basic population genetics concepts, ranging from co-adapted gene complexes to evolution of phenotypic plasticity.Less
This chapter discusses the population biology and ecological genetics of native species within California grasslands, providing many important insights into the processes of microevolutionary change in plant populations. It describes basic population genetics concepts, ranging from co-adapted gene complexes to evolution of phenotypic plasticity.
Norman A. Johnson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195306750
- eISBN:
- 9780199790203
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306750.001.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Some six million years ago, two branches of the evolutionary tree diverged: one that led to chimpanzees and bonobos, and one that led to us. Extraordinary advances in our ability to obtain and ...
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Some six million years ago, two branches of the evolutionary tree diverged: one that led to chimpanzees and bonobos, and one that led to us. Extraordinary advances in our ability to obtain and process DNA sequence information permits scientists to address fundamental questions about the evolutionary histories of varied species, including our own. Ascertaining the sequence of the genome — the complete complement of DNA information — from both humans and chimpanzees allows scientists to address such questions as: which genes were subjected to natural selection along our evolutionary branch? Are these the genetic changes that made us human? The book addresses these and other questions about human evolutionary history, including our domestication of other animals and of plants. It also explores how researchers use the tools of molecular genetics and population genetics theory to unravel the secrets of the natural histories of genes and genomes. Much like detectives looking to ascertain the circumstances behind a crime, these scientists can develop and test inferences about the nature of the natural selection and other evolutionary pressures that have shaped the organisms that harbor these genes.Less
Some six million years ago, two branches of the evolutionary tree diverged: one that led to chimpanzees and bonobos, and one that led to us. Extraordinary advances in our ability to obtain and process DNA sequence information permits scientists to address fundamental questions about the evolutionary histories of varied species, including our own. Ascertaining the sequence of the genome — the complete complement of DNA information — from both humans and chimpanzees allows scientists to address such questions as: which genes were subjected to natural selection along our evolutionary branch? Are these the genetic changes that made us human? The book addresses these and other questions about human evolutionary history, including our domestication of other animals and of plants. It also explores how researchers use the tools of molecular genetics and population genetics theory to unravel the secrets of the natural histories of genes and genomes. Much like detectives looking to ascertain the circumstances behind a crime, these scientists can develop and test inferences about the nature of the natural selection and other evolutionary pressures that have shaped the organisms that harbor these genes.
Antonio Fontdevila
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199541379
- eISBN:
- 9780191728532
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199541379.003.0001
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics, Developmental Biology
Its structure, redundancy and plasticity make the genome a dynamic system. This chapter gives an introductory evolutionary view of these genome characteristics focusing on the unanticipated ...
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Its structure, redundancy and plasticity make the genome a dynamic system. This chapter gives an introductory evolutionary view of these genome characteristics focusing on the unanticipated uncoupling between organism complexity and genome size (the C-value paradox). Some approaches to this paradox are presented ranging from genome dynamics to population dynamics. While it may be too early to understand in full the genome dynamics, some case studies in comparative genomics are presented that vindicate the central role of population genetics to understand genome evolution. The roles of duplication, transposition, RNA regulation, and the, recently discovered, structural DNA variants are introduced as examples of the genome evolutionary dynamics and show how the combined population, functional, and structural approaches are enlightening our view on genome evolution. The chapter ends with a deep introductory reflection on the dual role of chance (random variation) and necessity (natural selection) in the building of a dynamic genome.Less
Its structure, redundancy and plasticity make the genome a dynamic system. This chapter gives an introductory evolutionary view of these genome characteristics focusing on the unanticipated uncoupling between organism complexity and genome size (the C-value paradox). Some approaches to this paradox are presented ranging from genome dynamics to population dynamics. While it may be too early to understand in full the genome dynamics, some case studies in comparative genomics are presented that vindicate the central role of population genetics to understand genome evolution. The roles of duplication, transposition, RNA regulation, and the, recently discovered, structural DNA variants are introduced as examples of the genome evolutionary dynamics and show how the combined population, functional, and structural approaches are enlightening our view on genome evolution. The chapter ends with a deep introductory reflection on the dual role of chance (random variation) and necessity (natural selection) in the building of a dynamic genome.
Steven Weitzman
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691174600
- eISBN:
- 9781400884933
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691174600.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
This chapter examines the field of population genetics as an approach to the origin of the Jews. Most historians study the past by focusing on the period of time that can be documented by textual ...
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This chapter examines the field of population genetics as an approach to the origin of the Jews. Most historians study the past by focusing on the period of time that can be documented by textual sources, the past 4,000 years or so. In the past few years, a new form of primordialism has emerged that uses DNA and the brain's evolutionary history to reconstruct demographic history, ancient social interaction, and other insights to shed light on where people come from and how they have evolved. The chapter first provides an overview of genetic history and biological approaches to the origin of the Jews before discussing what genetics research has revealed about the ancestry of the Jews, some of the criticisms hurdled against this research, and whether a genetic approach offers a viable alternative to the constructivist approach employed by many contemporary scholars to address the question of Jewish origins.Less
This chapter examines the field of population genetics as an approach to the origin of the Jews. Most historians study the past by focusing on the period of time that can be documented by textual sources, the past 4,000 years or so. In the past few years, a new form of primordialism has emerged that uses DNA and the brain's evolutionary history to reconstruct demographic history, ancient social interaction, and other insights to shed light on where people come from and how they have evolved. The chapter first provides an overview of genetic history and biological approaches to the origin of the Jews before discussing what genetics research has revealed about the ancestry of the Jews, some of the criticisms hurdled against this research, and whether a genetic approach offers a viable alternative to the constructivist approach employed by many contemporary scholars to address the question of Jewish origins.
Charles J. Goodnight
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199595372
- eISBN:
- 9780191774799
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199595372.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Sewall Wright's shifting balance theory remains controversial in part because it is what would today be called a complex systems model that was never developed beyond that of a metaphor. A key ...
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Sewall Wright's shifting balance theory remains controversial in part because it is what would today be called a complex systems model that was never developed beyond that of a metaphor. A key component of this theory, the adaptive landscape, has become an important element in population genetics and evolutionary theory. This chapter explores the original metaphor of the adaptive landscape can be modified to make it a usable concept. It suggests that it is useful to consider the landscape to be a very high dimensional space that is conceptually helpful but of little practical use. The high-dimensional landscape potentially includes all aspects of the genotype and phenotype, including aspects of the social and physical environment that affect the phenotype. This broad conceptual visualization of an adaptive landscape is concordant with the diverse uses of this metaphor in evolutionary theory if we consider adaptive landscapes with only a few dimensions to be projections of the high dimension landscape on to the subset that are being used. This modified view of adaptive landscapes is used to discuss Wright's shifting balance theory and how it can be changed to accommodate modern experimental and theoretical findings.Less
Sewall Wright's shifting balance theory remains controversial in part because it is what would today be called a complex systems model that was never developed beyond that of a metaphor. A key component of this theory, the adaptive landscape, has become an important element in population genetics and evolutionary theory. This chapter explores the original metaphor of the adaptive landscape can be modified to make it a usable concept. It suggests that it is useful to consider the landscape to be a very high dimensional space that is conceptually helpful but of little practical use. The high-dimensional landscape potentially includes all aspects of the genotype and phenotype, including aspects of the social and physical environment that affect the phenotype. This broad conceptual visualization of an adaptive landscape is concordant with the diverse uses of this metaphor in evolutionary theory if we consider adaptive landscapes with only a few dimensions to be projections of the high dimension landscape on to the subset that are being used. This modified view of adaptive landscapes is used to discuss Wright's shifting balance theory and how it can be changed to accommodate modern experimental and theoretical findings.
Michael L. May and John H. Matthews
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199230693
- eISBN:
- 9780191710889
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199230693.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Ecology, Animal Biology
Migration by Odonata may illuminate patterns and evolution of insect migration in general. As aquatic/aerial carnivores dragonflies differ from most migratory insects, and because they are large and ...
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Migration by Odonata may illuminate patterns and evolution of insect migration in general. As aquatic/aerial carnivores dragonflies differ from most migratory insects, and because they are large and diurnal, observational techniques are available that are impossible in most other insects. Geographic analysis of genetic structure and stable and radiogenic isotope composition and use of newly developed radio-tracking techniques has been applied to migration in the North American dragonfly, Anax junius. Southbound migrants move up to 2,800 km. Developmental phenology suggests early (‘resident’) and late (‘migrant’) cohorts at most sites, but these groups appear genetically identical, and the species is essentially panmictic in eastern North America. Apparently environmental cues and physiological responses to photoperiod and temperature engender migratory behaviour. Successful radio-tracking of individual A. junius has revealed alternating periods of migration and energy replenishment, and responses to wind and temperature similar to avian migration.Less
Migration by Odonata may illuminate patterns and evolution of insect migration in general. As aquatic/aerial carnivores dragonflies differ from most migratory insects, and because they are large and diurnal, observational techniques are available that are impossible in most other insects. Geographic analysis of genetic structure and stable and radiogenic isotope composition and use of newly developed radio-tracking techniques has been applied to migration in the North American dragonfly, Anax junius. Southbound migrants move up to 2,800 km. Developmental phenology suggests early (‘resident’) and late (‘migrant’) cohorts at most sites, but these groups appear genetically identical, and the species is essentially panmictic in eastern North America. Apparently environmental cues and physiological responses to photoperiod and temperature engender migratory behaviour. Successful radio-tracking of individual A. junius has revealed alternating periods of migration and energy replenishment, and responses to wind and temperature similar to avian migration.
Laurence D. Mueller
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520247666
- eISBN:
- 9780520944473
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520247666.003.0009
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
This chapter discusses the interweaving of problems in ecology and evolution. Early in the history of these fields, topics such as population dynamics were relegated to the realm of ecology, while ...
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This chapter discusses the interweaving of problems in ecology and evolution. Early in the history of these fields, topics such as population dynamics were relegated to the realm of ecology, while the fields of evolution and population genetics considered problems like fitness components and methods for their estimation, ignoring ecological context. But over the course of the twentieth century, the evolution of population-growth rates became the focus of experimental studies, as well as the impact of life cycles and population regulation on fitness measurements and evolution. In this chapter, ecological and evolutionary studies of population dynamics are presented. These include studies on population growth, estimation of fitness in populations, and dynamics of populations with age structure.Less
This chapter discusses the interweaving of problems in ecology and evolution. Early in the history of these fields, topics such as population dynamics were relegated to the realm of ecology, while the fields of evolution and population genetics considered problems like fitness components and methods for their estimation, ignoring ecological context. But over the course of the twentieth century, the evolution of population-growth rates became the focus of experimental studies, as well as the impact of life cycles and population regulation on fitness measurements and evolution. In this chapter, ecological and evolutionary studies of population dynamics are presented. These include studies on population growth, estimation of fitness in populations, and dynamics of populations with age structure.
John O. Reiss
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520258938
- eISBN:
- 9780520944404
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520258938.003.0007
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Darwin's separation between adaptedness and existence entered into modern evolutionary theory at its root, in the population genetics work of Sewall Wright and J. B. S. Haldane. This chapter shows ...
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Darwin's separation between adaptedness and existence entered into modern evolutionary theory at its root, in the population genetics work of Sewall Wright and J. B. S. Haldane. This chapter shows how the teleological aspect of Darwin's theory was translated into the mathematical language of population genetics, particularly by Sewall Wright. This teleology is exemplified by Wright's metaphor of the adaptive landscape; it is absent from R. A. Fisher's fundamental theorem. The chapter also examines the debate over genetic load, showing that the separation of adaptedness from existence is transferred to the mathematical theory most directly in the form of confusion between absolute and relative fitness.Less
Darwin's separation between adaptedness and existence entered into modern evolutionary theory at its root, in the population genetics work of Sewall Wright and J. B. S. Haldane. This chapter shows how the teleological aspect of Darwin's theory was translated into the mathematical language of population genetics, particularly by Sewall Wright. This teleology is exemplified by Wright's metaphor of the adaptive landscape; it is absent from R. A. Fisher's fundamental theorem. The chapter also examines the debate over genetic load, showing that the separation of adaptedness from existence is transferred to the mathematical theory most directly in the form of confusion between absolute and relative fitness.
Milena Salgado Lynn, Pierfrancesco Sechi, Lounès Chikhi, and Benoit Goossens
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780198703389
- eISBN:
- 9780191824067
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198703389.003.0005
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
Conservation genetics is a relatively young interdisciplinary field. Essentially, it concerns the application of genetic methods to threatened species. It aims to obtain detailed insights about their ...
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Conservation genetics is a relatively young interdisciplinary field. Essentially, it concerns the application of genetic methods to threatened species. It aims to obtain detailed insights about their evolution, ecology, taxonomy, and population genetics and to inform conservation strategies. This chapter discusses the application of the most commonly used molecular techniques to the conservation of primates, with a focus on non-invasive samples. Recent technological advances in sequencing techniques are allowing the transition from classical population genetic studies, based on few markers, to studies based on whole-genome information. The main techniques and concepts are broadly explored and practical examples are given together with pointers to recent studies and reviews. The aim is to give the reader a general understanding of what the field of conservation genetics is, how it can be applied to primate research and conservation, and how it will likely change in the future.Less
Conservation genetics is a relatively young interdisciplinary field. Essentially, it concerns the application of genetic methods to threatened species. It aims to obtain detailed insights about their evolution, ecology, taxonomy, and population genetics and to inform conservation strategies. This chapter discusses the application of the most commonly used molecular techniques to the conservation of primates, with a focus on non-invasive samples. Recent technological advances in sequencing techniques are allowing the transition from classical population genetic studies, based on few markers, to studies based on whole-genome information. The main techniques and concepts are broadly explored and practical examples are given together with pointers to recent studies and reviews. The aim is to give the reader a general understanding of what the field of conservation genetics is, how it can be applied to primate research and conservation, and how it will likely change in the future.
Steven A. Frank
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- December 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199595372
- eISBN:
- 9780191774799
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199595372.003.0004
- Subject:
- Biology, Evolutionary Biology / Genetics
Two giants of evolutionary theory, Sewall Wright and R. A. Fisher, fought bitterly for over thirty years. The Wright–Fisher controversy forms a cornerstone of the history and philosophy of biology. ...
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Two giants of evolutionary theory, Sewall Wright and R. A. Fisher, fought bitterly for over thirty years. The Wright–Fisher controversy forms a cornerstone of the history and philosophy of biology. The chapter argues that the standard interpretations of the Wright–Fisher controversy do not accurately represent the ideas and arguments of these two key historical figures. The usual account contrasts the major slogans attached to each name: Wright's adaptive landscape and shifting balance theory of evolution versus Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection. These alternative theories are in fact incommensurable. Wright's theory is a detailed dynamical model of evolutionary change in actual populations. Fisher's theory is an abstract invariance and conservation law that, like all physical laws, captures essential features of a system but does not account for all aspects of dynamics in real examples. This key contrast between embodied theories of real cases and abstract laws is missing from prior analyses of Wright versus Fisher. They never argued about this contrast. Instead, the issue at stake in their arguments concerned the actual dynamics of real populations. Both agreed that fluctuations of nonadditive (epistatic) gene combinations play a central role in evolution. Wright emphasized stochastic fluctuations of gene combinations in small, isolated populations. By contrast, Fisher believed that fluctuating selection in large populations was the main cause of fluctuation in nonadditive gene combinations. Close reading shows that widely cited views attributed to Fisher mostly come from what Wright said about Fisher, whereas Fisher's own writings clearly do not support such views.Less
Two giants of evolutionary theory, Sewall Wright and R. A. Fisher, fought bitterly for over thirty years. The Wright–Fisher controversy forms a cornerstone of the history and philosophy of biology. The chapter argues that the standard interpretations of the Wright–Fisher controversy do not accurately represent the ideas and arguments of these two key historical figures. The usual account contrasts the major slogans attached to each name: Wright's adaptive landscape and shifting balance theory of evolution versus Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection. These alternative theories are in fact incommensurable. Wright's theory is a detailed dynamical model of evolutionary change in actual populations. Fisher's theory is an abstract invariance and conservation law that, like all physical laws, captures essential features of a system but does not account for all aspects of dynamics in real examples. This key contrast between embodied theories of real cases and abstract laws is missing from prior analyses of Wright versus Fisher. They never argued about this contrast. Instead, the issue at stake in their arguments concerned the actual dynamics of real populations. Both agreed that fluctuations of nonadditive (epistatic) gene combinations play a central role in evolution. Wright emphasized stochastic fluctuations of gene combinations in small, isolated populations. By contrast, Fisher believed that fluctuating selection in large populations was the main cause of fluctuation in nonadditive gene combinations. Close reading shows that widely cited views attributed to Fisher mostly come from what Wright said about Fisher, whereas Fisher's own writings clearly do not support such views.
John Dupré
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199691982
- eISBN:
- 9780191738111
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199691982.003.0016
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter reviews recent ideas about the biological basis of race in the light of recent work in population genetics that has been interpreted as claiming that there are, after all, genes that ...
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This chapter reviews recent ideas about the biological basis of race in the light of recent work in population genetics that has been interpreted as claiming that there are, after all, genes that determine racial difference. The chapter reviews a range of meanings of the word ‘gene’ and concludes that none of them lends any support to such a claim. There are geographical differences in the human population, and genetic analysis can reliably discern geographic origins. But ecotypes, geographical variants in a species, are a quite different thing from traditional racial classifications.Less
This chapter reviews recent ideas about the biological basis of race in the light of recent work in population genetics that has been interpreted as claiming that there are, after all, genes that determine racial difference. The chapter reviews a range of meanings of the word ‘gene’ and concludes that none of them lends any support to such a claim. There are geographical differences in the human population, and genetic analysis can reliably discern geographic origins. But ecotypes, geographical variants in a species, are a quite different thing from traditional racial classifications.
Xun Gu
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199213269
- eISBN:
- 9780191594762
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199213269.003.0010
- Subject:
- Biology, Biomathematics / Statistics and Data Analysis / Complexity Studies
As evolutionary biologists have always been concerned with the genetic basis for the emergence of complex phenotypes, advances in genomics and systems biology are facilitating a paradigm shift of ...
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As evolutionary biologists have always been concerned with the genetic basis for the emergence of complex phenotypes, advances in genomics and systems biology are facilitating a paradigm shift of molecular evolutionary biology toward a better understanding of the relationship of genotypes and phenotypes. From an evolutionary perspective, the central question is whether natural selection is a necessary and/or sufficient force to explain the emergence of genomic and cellular features that underlie the building of complex organisms. Lynch has criticized the adaptive hypothesis for the origins of organismal complexity, claiming that nothing in evolution makes sense in light of population genetics that takes the effects of mutation, genetic drift, and natural selection into account. The importance of mutation types and genetic drifts on the phenotype evolution has also been emphasized by Nei and his associates. One plausible approach to resolving these fundamental issues is to model the features of biological complexity as parameters instead of emerged properties, under the principle of population genetics and molecular evolution. This chapter discusses some recent results in this trend.Less
As evolutionary biologists have always been concerned with the genetic basis for the emergence of complex phenotypes, advances in genomics and systems biology are facilitating a paradigm shift of molecular evolutionary biology toward a better understanding of the relationship of genotypes and phenotypes. From an evolutionary perspective, the central question is whether natural selection is a necessary and/or sufficient force to explain the emergence of genomic and cellular features that underlie the building of complex organisms. Lynch has criticized the adaptive hypothesis for the origins of organismal complexity, claiming that nothing in evolution makes sense in light of population genetics that takes the effects of mutation, genetic drift, and natural selection into account. The importance of mutation types and genetic drifts on the phenotype evolution has also been emphasized by Nei and his associates. One plausible approach to resolving these fundamental issues is to model the features of biological complexity as parameters instead of emerged properties, under the principle of population genetics and molecular evolution. This chapter discusses some recent results in this trend.
Marianne Sommer
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780226347325
- eISBN:
- 9780226349879
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226349879.003.0012
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
This chapter deals with Cavalli-Sforza’s early work in the development of statistical and computer techniques to create human population trees on the basis of the genetics of blood groups. The ...
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This chapter deals with Cavalli-Sforza’s early work in the development of statistical and computer techniques to create human population trees on the basis of the genetics of blood groups. The history within was now conceived to reside in the gene. At the same time, also Cavalli-Sforza synthesized knowledge from other fields such as archaeology, linguistics, and history with the genetic data to arrive at encompassing pictures of modern human population migrations. This also generated controversy, especially with exponents of cultural anthropology. Cavalli-Sforza’s team at Stanford University was a center of human population genetic research and pioneered the development of DNA analysis for the establishment of genetic kinship trees. mtDNA and Y-chromosomal markers became the most important objects for the reconstruction of modern human evolution. On the basis of that knowledge and the out-of-Africa hypothesis, diverse branches of the human origins sciences became integrated and the new view of human evolution was popularized.Less
This chapter deals with Cavalli-Sforza’s early work in the development of statistical and computer techniques to create human population trees on the basis of the genetics of blood groups. The history within was now conceived to reside in the gene. At the same time, also Cavalli-Sforza synthesized knowledge from other fields such as archaeology, linguistics, and history with the genetic data to arrive at encompassing pictures of modern human population migrations. This also generated controversy, especially with exponents of cultural anthropology. Cavalli-Sforza’s team at Stanford University was a center of human population genetic research and pioneered the development of DNA analysis for the establishment of genetic kinship trees. mtDNA and Y-chromosomal markers became the most important objects for the reconstruction of modern human evolution. On the basis of that knowledge and the out-of-Africa hypothesis, diverse branches of the human origins sciences became integrated and the new view of human evolution was popularized.
