10.5061/DRYAD.PB5BH7HQ
Hodgson, Emma E.
University of British Columbia
Otto, Sarah P.
University of British Columbia
Data from: The red queen coupled with directional selection favors the
evolution of sex
Dryad
dataset
2012
Host-parasite interaction
2012-01-30T20:09:16Z
2012-01-30T20:09:16Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02468.x
78876 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Why sexual reproduction has evolved to be such a widespread mode of
reproduction remains a major question in evolutionary biology. While
previous studies have shown that increased sex and recombination can
evolve in the presence of host-parasite interactions (the “Red Queen
hypothesis” for sex), many of these studies have assumed that multiple
loci mediate infection versus resistance. Data suggest, however, that a
major locus is typically involved in antigen presentation and recognition.
Here, we explore a model where only one locus mediates host-parasite
interactions, but a second locus is subject to directional selection. Even
though the effects of these genes on fitness are independent, we show that
increased rates of sex and recombination are favored at a modifier gene
that alters the rate of genetic mixing. This result occurs because of
selective interference that occurs in finite populations (the
“Hill-Robertson effect”), which also favors sex. These results suggest
that the Red Queen hypothesis may help to explain the evolution of sex by
contributing a form of persistent selection, which interferes with
directional selection at other loci and thereby favors sex and
recombination.
CodeforDryadZip directory containing R code and simulation results
associated with paper (including supplementary figures). For details on
running the simulations, see readme.txt in directory.