Tag Archives: selection

Just So Stories addendum: How the stickleback keeps getting its stickles

Model organisms have been essential tools for genetics research since the field was formed.  Kelle Freel discussed the characteristics that make for a good model organism in a previous TME post.  Briefly, traits like short generation time, lots of offspring, … Continue reading

Posted in adaptation, evolution, genomics, natural history, selection, stickleback | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Is the neutral theory dead?

You might have noticed how the world of genetics was shaking as the giants of theoretical population genetics started discussing some of the most fundamental questions in the arena of Twittersphere. This happened after the publication of Andrew Kern and Matthew … Continue reading

Posted in evolution, mutation, population genetics, selection, theory | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Oh my ploidy … diploids evolve more slowly than haploids?

It’s been an embarrassingly long time since I last sat at my keyboard in a TME capacity (#NewPI chat doesn’t really count)! One year ago today, to be exact (writing this on 28 March, for publication on 29 March). Thus, … Continue reading

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Different ways to have sex, yet still be a weed

Baker (1955) noticed that when mates are lacking, the ability to undergo self-fertilization will greatly enhance colonization success. Uniparental reproduction seems to be common in colonizing species, whether it’s from a continent to an oceanic island, during a biological invasion or during range … Continue reading

Posted in Coevolution, comparative phylogeography, evolution, natural history, phylogeography, population genetics, selection | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Humans, selection, evolution and ecological timescales … a potent cocktail

It’s been awhile since I last was able to write for TME. But, finally, I’ve stolen away some time to write about a recent study in Ecology Letters that I couldn’t put down once I started reading it. Yes, it’s about mating … Continue reading

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Catching evolution in the act with the Singleton Density Score

A recent study led by Jonathan K. Pritchard at Stanford University brought a media storm with catchy headlines in both of the flagship scientific outlets Nature and Science News. Aside from highlighting the question of preprints without peer review being … Continue reading

Posted in methods, mutation, population genetics, selection | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

An evolutionary cycle …

Rescan, Lenormand and Roze (2016) recently published new models on the evolution of life cycles in The American Naturalist. Most animals and protists have diploid life cycles in which the haploid stage is reduced to a single-celled gamete. Other organisms, such … Continue reading

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