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Down the Cellar
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- August 20, 2010
- 12:30 AM
- 554 views
The evolutionary ecology of the genome
by Graves in Down the Cellar
A new paper by Pierre Durand and Richard Michod suggests an interesting line of inquiry in the "post-genomic" era. Instead of focusing on the genome as a mere collection of genes, there is an opportunity to study the selective processes that result in both the origin and subsequent evolution of the genome. This is something we can approach with data now that the genomes of so many organisms are ... Read more »
Durand, P., & Michod, R. (2010) Genomics in the light of evolutionary transitions. Evolution, 64(6), 1533-1540. DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00907.x
- September 13, 2010
- 08:59 AM
- 539 views
Elephant fish diversification via rapidly evolving electrical signals
by Graves in Down the Cellar
We usually think about organisms diversifying by moving in to fill previously unoccupied or recently-vacated niches—areas free of predators, or where native species have vanished, or with abundant, underutilized resources. The idea is that organisms seize opportunities, and that seems to be the major story told by decades of work on the Galapagos finches by Peter and Rosemary Grant.
Is this ... Read more »
Arnegard ME, McIntyre PB, Harmon LJ, Zelditch ML, Crampton WG, Davis JK, Sullivan JP, Lavoué S, & Hopkins CD. (2010) Sexual signal evolution outpaces ecological divergence during electric fish species radiation. The American naturalist, 176(3), 335-56. PMID: 20653442
- September 5, 2010
- 09:30 AM
- 537 views
The sex lives of yeast: Evidence for honest signaling
by Graves in Down the Cellar
Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast used in baking bread and brewing beer, has a long history as a useful eukaryotic model organism. Yeast reproduce by budding, but sometimes haploid cells sexually reproduce by secreting pheromones and fusing into one diploid cell, which can then undergo meiosis to create four spores. Lately, this facultative sexual reproduction has been targeted by evolutionary ... Read more »
Smith C, & Greig D. (2010) THE COST OF SEXUAL SIGNALING IN YEAST. Evolution; international journal of organic evolution. PMID: 20584074
- October 8, 2010
- 08:09 AM
- 531 views
A close look at experimentally evolved flies
by Graves in Down the Cellar
There is a potentially exciting new paper in Nature that challenges entrenched ideas about how adaptation proceeds. I say potentially, because I have some serious misgivings I'd like to share. But first, a brief overview of the Burke et al. paper.
Michael Rose's lab has had a long-term experimental evolution project with Drosophila melanogaster running for about 20 years. This is an amazing ... Read more »
Burke MK, Dunham JP, Shahrestani P, Thornton KR, Rose MR, & Long AD. (2010) Genome-wide analysis of a long-term evolution experiment with Drosophila. Nature, 467(7315), 587-90. PMID: 20844486
- August 23, 2010
- 08:40 AM
- 492 views
Sex role-reversed pipefish and the possibility of cryptic male choice
by Graves in Down the Cellar
Sexual selection exists because of anisogamy: females produce only a few, large gametes while males produce a greater number of small gametes. Because females invest more, and because their productivity is not usually limited by the availability of male gametes, females should be the choosy sex. Males, on the other hand, can increase their own reproductive success by simply tacking on additional ... Read more »
Paczolt, K.A., & Jones, A.G. (2010) Post-copulatory sexual selection and sexual conflict in the evolution of male pregnancy. Nature, 464(7287), 401-404. DOI: 10.1038/nature08861
- August 13, 2010
- 01:42 AM
- 369 views
A tragedy averted
by Graves in Down the Cellar
Nearly fifty years ago, V.C. Wynne-Edwards proposed that populations might evolve restrained resource exploitation and reproduction. The argument was built on the idea of selection acting for the good of the group. Wynne-Edwards thought that groups that ran rampant would extinguish themselves while frugal groups would replace them, although his argument was very fuzzy in terms of how this group... Read more »
Kerr B, Neuhauser C, Bohannan BJ, & Dean AM. (2006) Local migration promotes competitive restraint in a host-pathogen 'tragedy of the commons'. Nature, 442(7098), 75-8. PMID: 16823452
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