A recent slew of ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Consortium publications, specifically the article signed by all members, put forward idea that more than 80% human genome is functional. This claim flies in face current estimates according to which fraction evolutionarily conserved through purifying selection less 10%. Thus, ENCODE Consortium, a biological function can be maintained indefinitely without selection, implies at least 80 − 10 = 70% perfectly invulnerable deleterious...

Abstract We examined 20 Drosophila melanogaster populations collected from a 2600-km north-south transect in Australia. In laboratory culture at constant temperature and standard larval density, genetic cline thorax length wing area was found, with both traits increasing latitude. The based on clines cell size number, but primarily determined by changes number. Body development time were not associated among populations. discuss our results the context of selection processes operating...

Field-collected Drosophila melanogaster from 19 populations in Eastern Australia were measured for body size traits, and the measurements compared with similar ones on flies same reared under standard laboratory conditions. Wild caught smaller, latitudinal trends greater. Reduced was caused by fewer cells wing, steeper cline greater variation cell area. The reduction field-collected may therefore have been reduced nutrition, an environmental response to temperature. No evidence found...

We measured the size of eggs produced by populations Drosophila melanogaster that had been collected along latitudinal gradients in different continents or undergone several years culture at temperatures laboratory. Australian and South American from higher latitudes larger when all were compared a standard temperature. Laboratory evolving 16.5°C than evolved 25°C 29°C, suggesting temperature may be an important selective agent producing clines. Flies laboratory experimental 25°C, there was...

We used a novel approach to study the effects of egg size on offspring fitness components in Drosophila melanogaster. Populations that differed genetically were crossed, and female from these reciprocal crosses examined for life-history traits. These flies expressed size, because they developed eggs different sizes as result maternal genetic effects, but displayed an equivalent range nuclear variation. The four independent pairs outbred populations pattern covariation between traits, so...

In dipterans, the wing-beat frequency, and, hence, lift generated, increases linearly with ambient temperature. If flight performance is an important target of natural selection, higher wing:thorax size ratio and wing-aspect should be favored at low temperatures because they increase for a given body weight. We investigated this hypothesis by examining wing: thorax in Drosophila melanogaster collected from wild populations along latitudinal gradient their descendants reared under standard...

SUMMARY We have taken advantage of parallel instances natural selection on body size in Drosophila melanogaster to investigate constraints and adaptation affecting wing shape. Using recently developed techniques for statistical shape analysis, we examined variation similar clines three continents. Gender‐related differences were constant among all populations, suggesting that gender represent a developmental constraint In contrast, the underlying varied significantly between continents...

Mutation is the ultimate source of all genetic variation and is, therefore, central to evolutionary change. Previous work on Paramecium tetraurelia found an unusually low germline base-substitution mutation rate in this ciliate. Here, we tested generality result among ciliates using Tetrahymena thermophila. We sequenced genomes 10 lines T. thermophila that had each undergone approximately 1,000 generations accumulation (MA). applied existing mutation-calling pipeline developed a new...

Abstract Motivation Gene set overrepresentation analysis is widely used to interpret high-throughput transcriptomics and proteomics data, but traditional methods rely on human-curated gene databases that lack flexibility. Results We introduce llm2geneset, a framework leverages large language models (LLMs) dynamically generate tailored input query genes, such as differentially expressed genes (DEGs) biological context specified in natural language. These integrate with methods, (ORA), assign...

SUMMARY Whereas growth in many ecdysozoa is associated with only molting, larval nematodes, specifically Caenorhabditis elegans , thought to be continuous and exponential. However, this has never been closely investigated. Here we report several detailed studies of wild‐type dwarf C. strains. We find that apparent exponential between hatching adulthood comprises a series linear phases, one per stage, the rate increasing at successive molts. Although most structures grow continuously, buccal...

Transposable elements (TEs) are genomic parasites that impose fitness costs on their hosts by producing deleterious mutations and disrupting gametogenesis. Host genomes avoid these regulating TE activity, particularly in germline cells where new insertions heritable TEs exceptionally active. However, the capacity of different TE-associated to select for repression host, role selection evolution regulation more generally remain controversial. In this study, we use forward, individual-based...

Abstract We measured the impact of new mutations on genetic variation for body size in two independent sets C. elegans spontaneous mutation-accumulation (MA) lines, derived from N2 strain, that had been maintained by selfing 60 or 152 generations. The lines gave broadly consistent results. change among-line between cryopreserved controls and MA implied broad sense heritability increased 0.4% per generation. Overall, reduced mean ∼0.1% genome-wide rate with detectable effects was estimated to...

Darwin observed that multiple, lowly organized, rudimentary, or exaggerated structures show increased relative variability. However, the cellular basis for these laws has never been investigated. Some animals, such as nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , are famous having organs possess same number of cells in all individuals, a property known eutely. But most multicellular creatures, extent cell variability is unknown. Here we estimate organ variety plants, slime moulds, and volvocine algae....

Abstract The snowball hypothesis suggests that the number of genetic incompatibilities between two populations will accumulate faster than linearly as they diverge... Genetic can emerge a byproduct divergence. According to Dobzhansky and Muller, an allele fixes in one population may be incompatible with at different locus another when alleles are brought together hybrids. Orr showed Dobzhansky-Muller (DMIs) should linearly—i.e., snowball—as lineages diverge. Several studies have attempted...

Abstract Sex is ubiquitous in the natural world, but nature of its benefits remains controversial. Previous studies have suggested that a major advantage sex ability to eliminate interference between selection on linked mutations, phenomenon known as Hill–Robertson interference. However, those may missed both important advantages and disadvantages sexual reproduction because they did not allow distributions mutational effects interactions (i.e., genetic architecture) evolve. Here we...