PubMed · 10816369
Competitive speciation in quantitative genetic models.
Abstract
We study sympatric speciation due to competition in an environment with a broad distribution of resources. We assume that the trait under selection is a quantitative trait, and that mating is assortative with respect to this trait. Our model alternates selection according to Lotka-Volterra-type competition equations, with reproduction using the ideas of quantitative genetics. The recurrence relations defined by these equations are studied numerically and analytically. We find that when a population enters a new environment, with a broad distribution of unexploited food sources, the population distribution broadens under a variety of conditions, with peaks at the edge of the distribution indicating the formation of subpopulations. After a long enough time period, the population can split into several subpopulations with little gene flow between them.
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B Drossel, A Mckane. 2000-06-07. Competitive speciation in quantitative genetic models.. https://doi.org/10.1006/jtbi.2000.2030
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