Univ. Bordeaux, UMR 1202 BIOGECO, F-33400, Talence, France.
Mol Ecol. 2012 Dec;21(23):5646-55. doi: 10.1111/mec.12017. Epub 2012 Oct 30.
A key aim of evolutionary biology - inferring the action of natural selection on wild species - can be achieved by comparing neutral genetic differentiation between populations (F(ST)) with quantitative genetic variation (Q(ST)). Each of the three possible outcomes of comparisons of Q(ST) and F(ST) (Q(ST) > F(ST), Q(ST) = F(ST), Q(ST) < F(ST)) is associated with an inference (diversifying selection, genetic drift, uniform selection, respectively). However, published empirical and theoretical studies have focused on the Q(ST) > F(ST) outcome. We believe that this reflects the absence of a straightforward biological interpretation of the Q(ST) < F(ST) pattern. We here report recent evidence of this neglected evolutionary pattern, provide guidelines to its interpretation as either a canalization phenomenon or a consequence of uniform selection and discuss the significant importance this issue will have for the area of evolutionary biology.
进化生物学的一个主要目标 - 推断自然选择对野生物种的作用 - 可以通过比较种群之间的中性遗传分化（FST）与数量遗传变异（QST）来实现。比较 QST 和 FST 的三种可能结果（QST>FST、QST=FST、QST<FST）中的每一种都与一种推断（分化选择、遗传漂变、均匀选择，分别）相关。然而，已发表的实证和理论研究都集中在 QST>FST 的结果上。我们认为这反映了缺乏对 QST<FST 模式的直接生物学解释。我们在这里报告了最近对这种被忽视的进化模式的证据，提供了将其解释为 canalization 现象或均匀选择的结果的指导方针，并讨论了这个问题对进化生物学领域的重要性。
