graph showing changes in the frequency of the cyanogenic phenotype (HCN) with changes in the frequency of either dominant allele (i.e. CYP79D15 or Li)

Modern spandrels: the roles of genetic drift, gene flow and natural selection in the evolution of parallel clines

In a new paper in the Proceedings of the Royal Society (Series B), James Santangelo (Johnson & Ness Labs), modelled how selection, genetic drift and demography interact to drive evolution of traits that are controlled by multiple interacting genes. He found that genetic drift was sufficient to cause consistent directional change in trait frequencies, but the addition of natural selection increased the change in trait frequencies. This paper was published in a special feature in the journal on urban evolution, which James also co-edited.

Congrats to James on his first paper as a graduate student!

Read this paper »