Sex, Mixability, and Modularity

Authors

Adi Livnat, University of California - Berkeley
Christos Papadimitriou, University of California - Berkeley
Nicholas Pippenger, Harvey Mudd CollegeFollow
Marcus W. Feldman, Stanford University

Document Type

Article

Department

Mathematics (HMC)

Publication Date

2010

Abstract

The assumption that different genetic elements can make separate contributions to the same quantitative trait was originally made in order to reconcile biometry and Mendelism and ever since has been used in population genetics, specifically for the trait of fitness. Here we show that sex is responsible for the existence of separate genetic effects on fitness and, more generally, for the existence of a hierarchy of genetic evolutionary modules. Using the tools developed in the process, we also demonstrate that in terms of their fitness effects, separation and fusion of genes are associated with the increase and decrease of the recombination rate between them, respectively. Implications for sex and evolution theory are discussed.

Comments

First published at http://www.pnas.org/content/107/4/1452.abstract

Rights Information

© 2010 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Recommended Citation

Livnat, Adi, Christos Papadimitriou, Nicholas Pippenger, and Marcus W. Feldman. “Sex, mixability, and modularity.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107, no. 4 (January 26, 2010): 1452 -1457.