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Supergenes and their role in evolution - Coggle Diagram
Supergenes and their role in evolution
Citation: Jiggins CD, Thompson MJ. 2014. Supergenes and their role in evolution. Nature. 113():1-8.
Main Ideas
The researchers believe that the concept of a supergene should be utilized when considering genetic inheritance.
Nature through selection may favor alleles in a specific combination that increase the ability of an organism to adapt to their environment.
Multiple loci on the genome move as-if they were located on a single locus.
Selection can reinforce genetic linkages.
The most current definition of a supergene: A section of the genome that encompass any genetic functionality that provides flexibility for an organism to render different phenotypes while maintaining polymorphism.
Supergenes can also function as a foundation for speciation.
The researchers use the example of plants that have evolved physiology that prevent self-fertilization.
Mullerian mimicry in butterflies represent some of the oldest examples of supergenes.
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History
100 years ago Punnett theorizes Mendel models could support Darwin theory for the diversity of life on earth.
He also argued broad morphological changes were the results of singular genomic mutations.
1930: Fisher and Ford argue against joint mutation and support the gradualist perspective. Singular changes occurring over an extended period.
1938: Dobzhansky and Sturtevant's work supports the concept of proximity linkage during recombination.
1949: Darlington and Mather introduce the concept of a supergene.
1968: Clarke and Sheppard postulate the formation of a supergene and their subsequent recombination could function as a catalyst for evolution.
1979: Charlesworth and Charlesworth theorize evolution operates on loci that were already closely linked building the basis for a supergene. They termed their argument the "sieve."
2006: Kirkpatrick and Barton's research shows that genomic inversions increased in a pattern inconsistent with the benefit of the competing alleles.