We have aready discussed how selection can bias variation to be more advantageous, but what are the the requirements for this to happen? This paper from our colleagues at Southampton models gene regulatory network evolution to address which factors allow the generation of phenotypic variation "tailored" to environmental variation. 10:00 in Darwin's, with fika. Paper available here Abstract One of the most intriguing questions in evolution is how organisms exhibit suitable pheno- typic variation to rapidly adapt in novel selective environments. Such variability is crucial for evolvability ..read more

The idea that evolution produces (developmental) genetic architectures that make the effects of mutations biased towards particular phenotypes have come up a few times in recent discussions. Next week we will look a little closer at one of the models that have been used to explore the how and why of this problem. 10.00 in Darwin. Fika and entertainment provided.  You can find the paper here Epistasis and natural selection shape the mutational architecture of complex traits Adam G Jones, Reinhard Burger & Stevan Arnold The evolutionary trajectories of complex traits are constrained ..read more

For the next week's lab meeting, I would like to use this Drosophila paper as a case, to discuss  the evolution of sexual dimorphism in lifespan.  Hope to hear your thoughts over fika! Photo by Qinyang Li Manipulation of feeding regime alters sexual dimorphism for lifespan and reduces sexual conflict in Drosophila melanogaster 24.04.2017, 15:58 byElizabeth M. L. DuxburyWayne G. RostantTracey Chapman Sexual dimorphism for lifespan (SDL) is widespread, but poorly understood. A leading hypothesis, which we test here, is that strong SDL can reduce sexual conflict, b ..read more