Digest: Demographic changes and ancient introgression events might resolve Lewontin’s Paradox in Australian geckos
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Lewontin's Paradox concerns the weak correlation between genetic diversity and population size, challenging predictions of neutral theory. Lau et al., (2025. Range size variably predicts genetic diversity in Gehyra geckos. Evolution, qpaf057. doi:10.1093/evolut/qpaf057) investigated this paradox in Gehyra geckos, finding a positive correlation between range size and heterozygosity. However, this relationship was not significant in the nana group, suggesting additional evolutionary forces are involved. Population expansion, local population dynamics, and ancient introgression likely contributed to shaping genetic diversity, highlighting the complexity of evolutionary processes beyond genetic drift.
Source: Evolution
Author: Jente Ottenburghs
Institution: Wageningen University & Research
Language: English
Subfield: Genetics
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4409738077