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Modularity and the cost of complexity
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-07, 13:46 authored by John J. Welch, David WaxmanIn this work we consider the geometrical model of R. A. Fisher, in which individuals are characterised by a number of phenotypic characters under optimising selection. Recent work on this model by Orr has demonstrated that as the number of characters increases, there is a significant reduction in the rate of adaptation. Orr has dubbed this a “cost of complexity.” Although there is little evidence as to whether such a cost applies in the natural world, we suggest that the prediction is surprising, at least naively. With this in mind, we examine the robustness of Orr’s prediction by modifiying the model in various ways that might reduce or remove the cost. In particular, we explore the suggestion that “modular pleiotropy,” in which mutations affect only a subset of the traits, could play an important role. We conclude that although modifications of the model can mitigate the cost to a limited extent, Orr’s finding is robust.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
EvolutionISSN
0014-3820External DOI
Issue
8Volume
57Page range
1723-1734Department affiliated with
- Biology and Environmental Science Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes