Contemporary fisherian life-history evolution in small salmonid populations

The relative importance of natural selection and random drift in phenotypic evolution has been discussed since the introduction of the first population genetic models. The empirical evidence used to evaluate the evolutionary theories of Fisher and Wright remains obscure because formal tests for neutral divergence or sensitive attempts to separate the effects of selection and drift are scarce, subject to error, and have not been interpreted in the light of well-known population demography. We combined quantitative genetic and microsatellite DNA analyses to investigate the determinants of contemporary life-history evolution in isolated populations of grayling (Thymallus thymallus, Salmonidae) that originated from a common source 80-120 years ago. Here we show that natural selection was the dominant diversifying agent in the evolution of the quantitative traits. However, the populations were founded by a small number of individuals, exhibit very low microsatellite-based effective sizes and show genetic imprints of severe 'bottlenecks'; which are conditions often suggested to constrain selection and favour drift. This study demonstrates a very clear case of fisherian evolution in small natural populations across a contemporary timescale.     

遗传算法在多目标优化问题中的应用策略

遗传算法针对多目标优化问题,在适应度函数的选择、为防止遗传漂移和维持种群多样性等方面采用了相应的策略.在两杆构架优化的实例中,根据关系算子进行Pareto最优性排序,计算个体的适应度;引入分享机制以避免遗传漂移现象,保持种群的多样性;从种群池中独立保持Pareto解,使得最优解成为实际上的满意解.     

生境片断化对植物的遗传影响

生境片断化指大片连续的生境被分割成空间隔离的小生境的现象。通常认为，生境片断化使植物残遗种群由于经历随机遗传漂变和高水平的近交以及基因流的下降，而发生遗传侵蚀，遗传多样性下降，遗传结构改变，变得更加分化。但近期的研究证明，并不是所有的片断化事件都导致植物种群遗传变异丧失，且种群问的基因流甚至有可能增加了。片断化对植物种群的遗传作用还受到诸如世代长短的种间差异、片断化前的丰富度、有性和无性繁殖系统的多样性、种子库以及和传粉媒介及种子传播者的相互作用等的影响。     

MHC II DRB variation and trans-species polymorphism in the golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana)

Genetic variation is generally believed to be important in studying endangered species’ adaptive potential.Early studies assessed genetic diversity using nearly neutral markers,such as microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA(mtDNA),which are very informative for phylogenetic and phylogeographic reconstructions.However,the variation at these loci cannot provide direct information on selective processes involving the interaction of individuals with their environment,or on the capability to resist continuously evolving pathogens and parasites.The importance of genetic diversity at informative adaptive markers,such as major histocompatibility complex(MHC) genes,is increasingly being realized,especially in endangered,isolated species.Small population size and isolation make the golden snub-nosed monkey(Rhinopithecus roxellana) particularly susceptible to genetic variation losses through inbreeding and restricted gene flow.In this study,we compared the genetic variation and population structure of microsatellites,mtDNA,and the most relevant adaptive region of the MHC II-DRB genes in the golden snub-nosed monkey.We examined three Chinese R.roxellana populations and found the same variation patterns in all gene regions,with the population from Shennongjia population,Hubei Province,showing the lowest polymorphism among three populations.Genetic drift that outweighed balancing selection and the founder effect in these populations may explain the similar genetic variation pattern found in these neutral and adaptive genes.     

Phenotypic and genetic variation between two populations of the Chinese yellow pond turtle, Mauremys mutica （Cantor, 1842）

Mauremys mutica (Cantor, 1842) is an endangered species in China. Main phenotypic variations in body color, body weight, body shape, clutch size, egg size, and hatchling size were revealed between the southern and northern populations. Both populations have the phenomenon of "larger male" sexual size dimorphism (SSD), especially in the southern population. Furthermore, genetic variations between the two populations were analyzed by RAPD band patterns of 30 random individuals in each population. The average genetic distance was 0.299±0.108 among the samples of two populations. The average genetic distance between southern and northern populations was 0.305±0.046. Cluster analysis indicated that all the individuals from the southern and northern populations were clustered among themselves to form two distinct clades. A total of 20 population-specific RAPD fragments were scored from 16 primers, and could be used as RAPD markers for distinguishing the southern and the northern population. Based on the nucleotide sequences of two RAPD markers, two pairs of SCAR primers (SC1-S and SC2-S) were designed, which could be used as SCAR markers for the southern population. According to the significant phenotypic and genetic variations, we suggested that the northern population and southern population might be considered as two separate taxa, the "northern taxon" and the "southern taxon", and the conservation should be respectively conducted on the two taxa.     

Ecological and immunological determinants of influenza evolution

In pandemic and epidemic forms, influenza causes substantial, sometimes catastrophic, morbidity and mortality. Intense selection from the host immune system drives antigenic change in influenza A and B, resulting in continuous replacement of circulating strains with new variants able to re-infect hosts immune to earlier types. This 'antigenic drift' often requires a new vaccine to be formulated before each annual epidemic. However, given the high transmissibility and mutation rate of influenza, the constancy of genetic diversity within lineages over time is paradoxical. Another enigma is the replacement of existing strains during a global pandemic caused by 'antigenic shift'--the introduction of a new avian influenza A subtype into the human population. Here we explore ecological and immunological factors underlying these patterns using a mathematical model capturing both realistic epidemiological dynamics and viral evolution at the sequence level. By matching model output to phylogenetic patterns seen in sequence data collected through global surveillance, we find that short-lived strain-transcending immunity is essential to restrict viral diversity in the host population and thus to explain key aspects of drift and shift dynamics.     

分子进化中性理论的进展

中性理论与达尔文的自然选择进化论有明显的差别。中性论认为在分子水平上覆盖着多数的进化改变，是在连续产生突变时，由于选择中性（即选择相等），使突变得到随机的固定（即小群体内，样本的随机漂变）。还认为在分子水平上，大多数的种内变异（如蛋白质和ＤＮＡ多态）是选择中性或近于中性，它们能够保持在种内是由于突变的产生和随机消失之间的平衡引起的。近年来，ＤＮＡ顺序的研究资料，都有力地支持中性论，如鼠的拟球蛋白基因、鼹鼠的αＡ－晶状体蛋白、流行性感冒Ａ病毒基因，果蝇的核和线粒体基因等。所以，从地球上生命的历史来看，中性进化的改变至少在数量上已超过达尔文自然选择进化的改变。     

唐鱼野生与养殖群体遗传多样性的随机扩增多态DNA(RAPD)分析

应用随机扩增DNA多态性(RAPD)技术对唐鱼野生与养殖群体的遗传多样性进行了分析。从40个10BP引物中选取15个用于群体遗传多样性分析,共检测出93个位点,其中46个(49.46%)呈多态;两群体的多态位点比例分别为43.01%和41.94%;用香农指数量化的遗传多样性指数,野生群体(0.23)略高于养殖群体(0.20),平均遗传多样性指数为0.22,群体内和群体间的遗传变异比例分别为85%和15%;群体的遗传相似度高达0.96,彼此间的遗传距离仅为0.04。研究表明,唐鱼目前的种质资源状况令人堪忧,恢复唐鱼有效种群大小、丰富物种遗传多样性是资源保护的基础。     

金华地区野生大豆小种群的分子生态学研究

为了阐明小地区范围内野生大豆种群的遗传分化情况,应用随机扩增多态性ＤＮＡ（ＲＡＰＤ）方法,对浙江金华地区５个一年生野生大豆种群,进行了分子生态学研究。用根据ＲＡＰＤ数据计算得 Ｓｈａｎｎｏｎ指数估计了５个野生大豆种群的遗传多样性。发现大部分的遗传变异存在于野生大豆种群间,只有少部分的遗传变异存在于种群内。     

Pseudomonas brassicacearum的数量分布差异及生物防治小麦全蚀病和油菜根腐病

通过3种PCR技术测定基因特征和测定3种生化特征,对来自南澳洲两块对比小麦田土壤中的Pseudomonas brassicacearum种群的菌株进行了分析研究.结果显示,两种不同土壤和两种不同根部区域(根表和根际),该种群具有高度多样性,其基因型和基因组也具有显著差异(P<0.05).所分离到的菌株中,四分之三具有独特的基因组,90%以上的基因组是其原种群所独具有的.所有菌株的基因组的平均同源性比较低(22%),聚类分析不能证明来自不同小麦田和不同根部区域的菌株具有亲缘性.聚类分析显示,种群内的基因流动是受到限制的,菌株基因组的差异是由于基因的随机漂流引起的,由根表得到的基因型是与所采集的对比土壤相关联的.有三分之一的菌株检测到了2,4-二乙酰基均苯三酚(PhlD)生物合成基因,这些菌株形成了一相关联的组群(同源性为60%).4株产生PhlD的菌株(两种野生型,表型不同)对小麦全蚀病和腐霉引起的油菜根腐病具有显著的防治效果,展现出了对这类病原菌引起的根部病害的防治潜能.     

Highly fecund mothers sacrifice offspring survival to maximize fitness

Why do highly fecund organisms apparently sacrifice offspring size for increased numbers when offspring survival generally increases with size? The theoretical tools for understanding this evolutionary trade-off between number and size of offspring have developed over the past 25 years; however, the absence of data on the relation between offspring size and fitness in highly fecund species, which would control for potentially confounding variables, has caused such models to remain largely hypothetical. Here we manipulate egg size, controlling for maternal trait interactions, and determine the causal consequences of offspring size in a wild population of Atlantic salmon. The joint effect of egg size on egg number and offspring survival resulted in stabilizing phenotypic selection for an optimal size. The optimal egg size differed only marginally from the mean value observed in the population, suggesting that it had evolved mainly in response to selection on maternal rather than offspring fitness. We conclude that maximization of maternal fitness by sacrificing offspring survival may well be a general phenomenon among highly fecund organisms.     

一种动态种群不对称交叉的新型遗传算法

在分析实数编码遗传算法各操作步骤的实质和不足的基础上,提出了以提高算法柔性为目的、以动态种群和不对称交叉为主要特点的新型遗传算法.在遗传寻优的每一代中,父辈个体的繁殖次数在限定的范围内随机波动,种群规模随之动态变化,依据生态平衡的原理,通过选择和复制将新一代种群规模限定于某一波动均值处.为提高新生个体的多样性及其在参数空间中的遍布性,提出并设计了不对称交叉的具体方法.针对新型算法,提出了双重选择的选择方法.经典型算例验证,所提算法具有收敛快、成功率高、抗早熟能力强的显著特点.     

基于压缩感知的在线多示例学习目标追踪

近年来提出的多示例学习算法在一定程度上能够克服模板漂移问题。然而,在线学习需要获取足够多的有用数据才能达到稳定的追踪效果,但是这却增加了算法的复杂度。为了解决这一问题,在压缩感知理论的基础上,运用随机观测的方法对多尺度图像特征进行降维,提取的这些低维特征中包含大量的有用信息。因此,我们提出的算法是先利用压缩感知理论提取目标特征之后,再使用在线多示例学习算法分类器对这些特征进行分类从而实现目标的稳定跟踪。通过对不同的图像序列进行实验,结果表明基于压缩感知的在线多示例学习算法对实时的目标追踪有很好的适应性。     

The effect of ancient population bottlenecks on human phenotypic variation

The origin and patterns of dispersal of anatomically modern humans are the focus of considerable debate. Global genetic analyses have argued for one single origin, placed somewhere in Africa. This scenario implies a rapid expansion, with a series of bottlenecks of small amplitude, which would have led to the observed smooth loss of genetic diversity with increasing distance from Africa. Analyses of cranial data, on the other hand, have given mixed results, and have been argued to support multiple origins of modern humans. Using a large data set of skull measurements and an analytical framework equivalent to that used for genetic data, we show that the loss in genetic diversity has been mirrored by a loss in phenotypic variability. We find evidence for an African origin, placed somewhere in the central/southern part of the continent, which harbours the highest intra-population diversity in phenotypic measurements. We failed to find evidence for a second origin, and we confirm these results on a large genetic data set. Distance from Africa accounts for an average 19-25% of heritable variation in craniometric measurements-a remarkably strong effect for phenotypic measurements known to be under selection.     

The Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel

A major challenge of biology is understanding the relationship between molecular genetic variation and variation in quantitative traits, including fitness. This relationship determines our ability to predict phenotypes from genotypes and to understand how evolutionary forces shape variation within and between species. Previous efforts to dissect the genotype-phenotype map were based on incomplete genotypic information. Here, we describe the Drosophila melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP), a community resource for analysis of population genomics and quantitative traits. The DGRP consists of fully sequenced inbred lines derived from a natural population. Population genomic analyses reveal reduced polymorphism in centromeric autosomal regions and the X chromosome, evidence for positive and negative selection, and rapid evolution of the X chromosome. Many variants in novel genes, most at low frequency, are associated with quantitative traits and explain a large fraction of the phenotypic variance. The DGRP facilitates genotype-phenotype mapping using the power of Drosophila genetics.     

Interference among deleterious mutations favours sex and recombination in finite populations

Sex and recombination are widespread, but explaining these phenomena has been one of the most difficult problems in evolutionary biology. Recombination is advantageous when different individuals in a population carry different advantageous alleles. By bringing together advantageous alleles onto the same chromosome, recombination speeds up the process of adaptation and opposes the fixation of harmful mutations by means of Muller's ratchet. Nevertheless, adaptive substitutions favour sex and recombination only if the rate of adaptive mutation is high, and Muller's ratchet operates only in small or asexual populations. Here, by tracking the fate of modifier alleles that alter the frequency of sex and recombination, we show that background selection against deleterious mutant alleles provides a stochastic advantage to sex and recombination that increases with population size. The advantage arises because, with low levels of recombination, selection at other loci severely reduces the effective population size and genetic variance in fitness at a focal locus (the Hill-Robertson effect), making a population less able to respond to selection and to rid itself of deleterious mutations. Sex and recombination reveal the hidden genetic variance in fitness by combining chromosomes of intermediate fitness to create chromosomes that are relatively free of (or are loaded with) deleterious mutations. This increase in genetic variance within finite populations improves the response to selection and generates a substantial advantage to sex and recombination that is fairly insensitive to the form of epistatic interactions between deleterious alleles. The mechanism supported by our results offers a robust and broadly applicable explanation for the evolutionary advantage of recombination and can explain the spread of costly sex.     

Cryptic evolution in a wild bird population.

Microevolution is expected to be commonplace, yet there are few thoroughly documented cases of microevolution in wild populations. In contrast, it is often observed that apparently heritable traits under strong and consistent directional selection fail to show the expected evolutionary response. One explanation proposed for this paradox is that a genetic response to selection may be masked by opposing changes in the environment. We used data from a 20-year study of collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis) to explore selection on, and evolution of, a heritable trait: relative body weight at fledging ('condition'). Despite consistent positive directional selection, on both the phenotypic and the additive genetic component (breeding values, estimated from an animal model) of condition, the mean phenotypic value of this trait in the population has declined, rather than increased, over time. Here we show that, despite this decline, the mean breeding value for condition has increased over time. The mismatch between response to selection at the levels of genotype and phenotype can be explained by environmental deterioration, concealing underlying evolution. This form of cryptic evolution may be common in natural environments.     

基于服务质量的Web服务优化选择算法及仿真

提出一种基于服务非功能属性的Web服务优化选择的多目标遗传算法.考虑到在服务选择时组合方案中的控制结构、具体服务之间的关联性和多个服务质量指标之间的折衷这三方面的约束,对服务选择建立分层模型给出优化选择的形式化定义.在此基础上,采用多目标遗传算法求解优化服务选择.首先设计了适合的染色体编码方式,以表示可行的服务选择方案...     

杉木遗传多态性与多基因位点遗传结构

在分析杉木16个群体的自由授粉种子胚乳蛋白质24个同功酶基因位点遗传多态性的基础上,进一步估计了遗传多态性与多基因位点之间的关系。研究结果表明:平均多态性位点占88.00％,每个位点平均有3个等位基因,期望杂合率为0.394;遗传多态性呈随机分布,但有7个位点等位基因频率与地理、气候因子相关;遗传多态性的6％归因于群体间的分化,94％属于群体内变异;16个群体中有15个存在双位点配子不平衡,大多数群体中明显存在高阶(两个基因位点以上)配子不平衡现象;配子不平衡与地理、气候因子之间相关呈随机分布。奠基者效应、群体的再分化、分布区内环境多样性以及2000多年人工栽培历史,均是产生和保持杉木群体遗传多样性及结构的重要因素。