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The genetic basis of developmental stability. I. Relationships between stability, heterozygosity and genomic coadaptation

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Abstract

The genetic basis of developmental stability has been much debated over the last four decades. Two major hypotheses have been developed over this period, one that argues that the level of stability is a reflection of the underlying level of genomic heterozygosity and the other that stability reflects the general level of genomic coadaptation, or genic balance. In this paper I have attempted to critically review the evidence for these hypotheses from both practical and theoretical perspectives. On balance there is little convincing evidence to suggest that heterozygosity plays a significant role in the determination and maintenance of developmental stability, whereas there is considerable support for the genomic coadaptation hypothesis.

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  1. Division of Entomology, CSIRO, GPO Box 1700, 2601, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Geoffrey M. Clarke

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Clarke, G.M. The genetic basis of developmental stability. I. Relationships between stability, heterozygosity and genomic coadaptation. Genetica 89, 15–23 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02424502

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