Document Detail


Complexity and diversity.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20413499     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The mechanisms for the origin and maintenance of biological diversity are not fully understood. It is known that frequency-dependent selection, generating advantages for rare types, can maintain genetic variation and lead to speciation, but in models with simple phenotypes (that is, low-dimensional phenotype spaces), frequency dependence needs to be strong to generate diversity. However, we show that if the ecological properties of an organism are determined by multiple traits with complex interactions, the conditions needed for frequency-dependent selection to generate diversity are relaxed to the point where they are easily satisfied in high-dimensional phenotype spaces. Mathematically, this phenomenon is reflected in properties of eigenvalues of quadratic forms. Because all living organisms have at least hundreds of phenotypes, this casts the potential importance of frequency dependence for the origin and maintenance of diversity in a new light.
Authors:
Michael Doebeli; Iaroslav Ispolatov
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Science (New York, N.Y.)     Volume:  328     ISSN:  1095-9203     ISO Abbreviation:  Science     Publication Date:  2010 Apr 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-04-23     Completed Date:  2010-05-04     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0404511     Medline TA:  Science     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  494-7     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. doebeli@zoology.ubc.ca
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Alleles
Animals
Biodiversity*
Birds / anatomy & histology,  genetics
Competitive Behavior
Ecosystem
Genetic Speciation*
Genetic Variation*
Mathematical Concepts
Models, Genetic
Normal Distribution
Phenotype
Selection, Genetic*

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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