- THIS ARTICLE
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me if a correction is posted
- SERVICES
- Email this article to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Alert me to new issues of the journal
- Download to citation manager
- Reprints & Permissions
- CITING ARTICLES
- Citing Articles via HighWire
- Citing Articles via Google Scholar
- GOOGLE SCHOLAR
- Articles by Gordo, I.
- Articles by Campos, P. R. A.
- Search for Related Content
- PUBMED
- PubMed Citation
- Articles by Gordo, I.
- Articles by Campos, P. R. A.
Genetics, Vol. 179, 621-626, May 2008, Copyright © 2008
doi:10.1534/genetics.108.086637
Sex and Deleterious Mutations
Isabel Gordo*,1 and
Paulo R. A. Campos
* Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, P-2781-901 Oeiras, Portugal and Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Dois Irmãos 52171-900, Recife-PE, Brazil
1 Corresponding author: Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Rua Quinta Grande, 6 Apartado 14, P-2781-901 Oeiras, Portugal.
E-mail: igordo{at}igc.gulbenkian.pt
The evolutionary advantage of sexual reproduction has been considered as one of the most pressing questions in evolutionary biology. While a pluralistic view of the evolution of sex and recombination has been suggested by some, here we take a simpler view and try to quantify the conditions under which sex can evolve given a set of minimal assumptions. Since real populations are finite and also subject to recurrent deleterious mutations, this minimal model should apply generally to all populations. We show that the maximum advantage of recombination occurs for an intermediate value of the deleterious effect of mutations. Furthermore we show that the conditions under which the biggest advantage of sex is achieved are those that produce the fastest fitness decline in the corresponding asexual population and are therefore the conditions for which Muller's ratchet has the strongest effect. We also show that the selective advantage of a modifier of the recombination rate depends on its strength. The quantification of the range of selective effects that favors recombination then leads us to suggest that, if in stressful environments the effect of deleterious mutations is enhanced, a connection between sex and stress could be expected, as it is found in several species.
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  J. Seger, W. A. Smith, J. J. Perry, J. Hunn, Z. A. Kaliszewska, L. L. Sala, L. Pozzi, V. J. Rowntree, and F. R. Adler Gene Genealogies Strongly Distorted by Weakly Interfering Mutations in Constant Environments Genetics, February 1, 2010; 184(2): 529 - 545. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 B. Charlesworth, A.J. Betancourt, V.B. Kaiser, and I. Gordo Genetic Recombination and Molecular Evolution Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol, September 4, 2009; (2009) sqb.2009.74.015v1. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|