Measuring selection in human populations using the growth rate per generation

Ewbank, Douglas C.

doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0148

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…This raises the question of how best to measure fitness, since different measures can come up with different results (see [157,158] for an example of different measures of fitness resulting in exactly opposite conclusions using the same dataset). In this issue, Ewbank [159] highlights that reproductive timing matters (see also [160,161]), as failing to take into account the generational nature of reproduction may lead to the mismeasurement of fitness, particularly in humans and other long-lived organisms. Short-term measures of fitness may also be overly sensitive to the failure to reproduce, yet childlessness is found in nearly all human societies and has become quite common post-demographic transition.…”

Section: (D) Emerging Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding variation in human fertility: what can we learn from evolutionary demography?

Sear

Lawson

Kaplan

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Decades of research on human fertility has presented a clear picture of how fertility varies, including its dramatic decline over the last two centuries in most parts of the world. Why fertility varies, both between and within populations, is not nearly so well understood. Fertility is a complex phenomenon, partly physiologically and partly behaviourally determined, thus an interdisciplinary approach is required to understand it. Evolutionary demographers have focused on human fertility since the 1980s. The first wave of evolutionary demographic research made major theoretical and empirical advances, investigating variation in fertility primarily in terms of fitness maximization. Research focused particularly on variation within high-fertility populations and small-scale subsistence societies and also yielded a number of hypotheses for why fitness maximization seems to break down as fertility declines during the demographic transition. A second wave of evolutionary demography research on fertility is now underway, paying much more attention to the cultural and psychological mechanisms underpinning fertility. It is also engaging with the complex, multi-causal nature of fertility variation, and with understanding fertility in complex modern and transitioning societies. Here, we summarize the history of evolutionary demographic work on human fertility, describe the current state of the field, and suggest future directions.

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Section: (D) Emerging Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding variation in human fertility: what can we learn from evolutionary demography?

Sear

Lawson

Kaplan

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…The former process is akin to sexual reproduction and meiotic crossing-overs in its human hosts. Due to contrasting short- and long- generation time of B. pseudomallei (49 min in the log phase; Ou et al, 2005 ) and host (22–33 years for modern humans; Ewbank, 2016 ); the host cannot solely rely on new genetic diversity generated when the new offspring is born. A healthy human possesses a large and dynamic repertoire of B cell- and T cell receptors that recognize the invading pathogen and produce a repertoire of antibody that recognizes a variety of antigenic structure.…”

Section: Mechanisms That Generate Genetic and Molecular Variationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Evolutionary Arms Race Between Burkholderia pseudomallei and Host Immune System: What Do We Know?

et al. 2021

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A better understanding of co-evolution between pathogens and hosts holds promise for better prevention and control strategies. This review will explore the interactions between Burkholderia pseudomallei, an environmental and opportunistic pathogen, and the human host immune system. B. pseudomallei causes “Melioidosis,” a rapidly fatal tropical infectious disease predicted to affect 165,000 cases annually worldwide, of which 89,000 are fatal. Genetic heterogeneities were reported in both B. pseudomallei and human host population, some of which may, at least in part, contribute to inter-individual differences in disease susceptibility. Here, we review (i) a multi-host—pathogen characteristic of the interaction; (ii) selection pressures acting on B. pseudomallei and human genomes with the former being driven by bacterial adaptation across ranges of ecological niches while the latter are driven by human encounter of broad ranges of pathogens; (iii) the mechanisms that generate genetic diversity in bacterial and host population particularly in sequences encoding proteins functioning in host—pathogen interaction; (iv) reported genetic and structural variations of proteins or molecules observed in B. pseudomallei—human host interactions and their implications in infection outcomes. Together, these predict bacterial and host evolutionary trajectory which continues to generate genetic diversity in bacterium and operates host immune selection at the molecular level.

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“…It is also employed to assess the number of generations necessary to produce a specific number of mutations that could be used to construct nodes of speciation in the past. This is usually couched in terms of fitness, as Ewbank [3] does. Fitness is equated with reproduction, and Ewbank [3] utilized the reproductive rate of certain groups in Ukraine and Kenya as models to establish the "growth rate" or the increase in numbers.…”

Section: Phylogenetics Populations and The Idea Of Racementioning

confidence: 99%

“…This is usually couched in terms of fitness, as Ewbank [3] does. Fitness is equated with reproduction, and Ewbank [3] utilized the reproductive rate of certain groups in Ukraine and Kenya as models to establish the "growth rate" or the increase in numbers.…”

Section: Phylogenetics Populations and The Idea Of Racementioning

confidence: 99%

Anatomical Variation, Hominins, Species, and Self-Domestication

Caldararo¹

2021

OBM Genet

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The evolution of hominins, members of the zoological tribe Hominini, has been a much-studied topic, and the construction of phylogenetic trees has been the key method in molecular evolutionary studies. How scientists determine the phylogenetic trees are governed by the assumptions they place on the construction of similarities and differences in morphological traits, the differences in the number of base pairs in the genomes, and the number of similar gene clusters that code for traits (haplotypes) or are error sequences (SNPs). Among the several methods employed for the construction of a phylogenetic tree, mathematical methods (utilized for sorting data, including fabrication of algorithms) are the most significant ones; also, the nature of population structuring plays an important role in the evolutionary process. In this paper, I will not only describe the drawbacks of current assumptions in hominin evolution during the Middle Pleistocene era (based on fossil evidence) but also the aspects of brain evolution and the self-domestication of our species. The evolution of the brain is usually associated with an increase in neurons and other types of cells associated with signal processing (connectivity) and memory. Assessing actual neuron counts in fossils is challenging; moreover, new research has shown decreased neuron numbers in the neocortex and demonstrated large counts in the cerebellum, leading to a decreased focus on brain size. The idea of increased brain size in the Pleistocene era without a substantial increase in the evidence of cognitive activity in complex behavior residues might be explained by increased myelination to provide additional insulation in Ice Age conditions and faster transition of signals due to increased competition for reduced food supplies. Other cold-adaptation features can also be noted. Such a model can provide a new approach to assess the apparent brain size reduction in the Upper Paleolithic period.

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Measuring selection in human populations using the growth rate per generation

Cited by 3 publications

References 22 publications

Understanding variation in human fertility: what can we learn from evolutionary demography?

Understanding variation in human fertility: what can we learn from evolutionary demography?

An Evolutionary Arms Race Between Burkholderia pseudomallei and Host Immune System: What Do We Know?

Anatomical Variation, Hominins, Species, and Self-Domestication

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