2011/05/04 by Susanne Schindler, Schindler, Susanne, Olaf Breidbach +2
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics #FOS: Biological sciences #Plant and animal studies #Populations and Evolution (q-bio.PE)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1105.0818
openalex publication_date 2011/05/04 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
When a population inhabits an inhomogeneous environment, the fitness value of traits can vary with the position in the environment. Gene flow caused by random mating can nevertheless prevent that a sexually reproducing population splits into different species under such circumstances. This is the problem of sympatric speciation. However, mating need not be entirely random. Here, we present a model where the individually advantageous preference for partners of high fitness can lead to genetic clustering as a precondition for speciation. In simulations, in appropriate parameter regimes, our model leads to the rapid fixation of the corresponding alleles.