Abstract
The history of mathematical modelling of communities and polymorphisms under intrinsic fluctuating selection is outlined. Authors have usually encountered difficulty in obtaining stability in cases involving host-parasite relations. Stability may in fact be uncommon. On the other handprotection of diversity (non-extinction of rare species or variants) may instead be common and important.
Within multilocus systems, mild truncalion selection on a host-parasite system both protects variation and is supportative of sexuality against parthenogenesis even when sex pays a full cost-that is, even if sex has halved the efficiency of reproduction due to production of males. Truncation based on heritable health, which is itself based on polygenic resistance to parasites, provides the most robust and universal model supporting sex yet presented.
The separate and joint roles of J. B. S. Haldane and S. D. Jayakar in originaüng ideas now incorporated in the model are discussed.
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Hamilton, W.D. Memes of Haldane and Jayakar in a theory of sex. J. Genet. 69, 17–32 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931664
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931664