Sex increases the efficacy of natural selection in experimental yeast populations.

Journal article

Why sex evolved and persists is a problem for evolutionary biology, because sex disrupts favourable gene combinations and requires an expenditure of time and energy. Further, in organisms with unequal-sized gametes, the female transmits her genes at only half the rate of an asexual equivalent (the twofold cost of sex). Many modern theories that provide an explanation for the advantage of sex incorporate an idea originally proposed by Weismann more than 100 years ago: sex allows natural select...

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Authors: Goddard, MR; Godfray, H; Burt, A

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Nature
• Volume: 434
• Issue: 7033
• Pages: 636-640
• Publication date: 2005-03-01
• DOI: 10.1038/nature03405
• EISSN: 1476-4687
• ISSN: 0028-0836
• Language: English
• Keywords: Sex; Models, Genetic; Genetic Variation; Esterases; Recombination, Genetic; Reproduction, Asexual; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Meiosis; Gene Deletion; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; Endodeoxyribonucleases; Selection, Genetic; Biological Evolution; Environment