Year: 2020
Type: review
Abstract: Despite the ubiquity and importance of mutualistic interactions, we know little about the evolutionary genetics underlying their long-term persistence. As in antagonistic interactions, mutualistic symbioses are characterized by substantial levels of phenotypic and genetic diversity. In contrast to antagonistic interactions, however, we, by and large, do not understand how this variation arises, how it is maintained, nor its implications for future evolutionary change. Currently, we rely on phenotypic models to address the persistence of mutualistic symbioses, but the success of an interaction almost certainly depends heavily on genetic interactions. In this review, we argue that evolutionary genetic models could provide a framework for understanding the causes and consequences of diversity and why selection may favour processes that maintain variation in mutualistic interactions.
Source: Journal of Evolutionary Biology
DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13715
Institutions: Emory University, University of Virginia
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: G1302069165, Evolution of Parasite Specialization Across an Ancient Agricultural System, G727269534, CAREER: Host-Parasite Coevolutionary Dynamics: Testing key hypotheses in host mating system evolution, Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), A general test of the genetic basis of parasite resistance across genetic and environmental contexts
OpenAlex ID: W3092628941