Journal
BIOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 1, Issue 2, Pages 193-195Publisher
ROYAL SOC
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2005.0296
Keywords
recombination; sex; evolution; parasites; selection
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Meiotic recombination destroys successful genotypes and it is therefore thought to evolve only under a very limited set of conditions. Here, we experimentally show that recombination rates across two linkage groups of the host, the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, increase with exposure to the microsporidian parasite, Nosema whitei, particularly when parasites were allowed to coevolve with their hosts. Selection by randomly varied parasites resulted in smaller effects, while directional selection for insecticide resistance initially reduced recombination slightly. These results, at least tentatively, suggest that short-term benefits of recombination-and thus the evolution of sex-may be related to parasitism.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available