Evolutionary Dynamics of Mating Systems and Genetic Diversity
Summary
The evolutionary interplay between mating systems and genetic diversity determines population resilience, adaptability and long-term survival. Self-fertilisation reduces effective population size, heterozygosity and recombination, thereby intensifying genetic drift and weakening both purifying and adaptive selection. In contrast, obligate outcrossing sustains higher polymorphism and selection efficacy. Intermediate strategies—mixed mating, apomixis and dioecy—produce complex genomic signatures. Floral supergenes can trigger rapid shifts from outcrossing to selfing with substantial impacts on genome-wide diversity. Insights from plants, nematodes, molluscs and other taxa demonstrate convergent mechanisms by which mating system transitions reshape genetic variation. These dynamics have global significance for biodiversity conservation, agricultural improvement and forecasting evolutionary responses to environmental change.
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Evolutionary Dynamics of Mating Systems and Genetic Diversity publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in evolutionary dynamics of mating systems and genetic diversity across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Mating system: The pattern of mating interactions within a population, ranging from obligate outcrossing to complete self-fertilisation.
Self-fertilisation: A reproductive mode in which an individual fertilises its own gametes, reducing effective population size and heterozygosity.
Outcrossing: A breeding system requiring gamete exchange between distinct individuals, promoting genetic diversity and recombination.
Effective population size: The number of individuals in an idealised population that would show the same level of genetic drift as the population under study.
Genetic drift: Random fluctuations in allele frequencies over time, more pronounced in small or selfing populations.
Purifying selection: The selective removal of deleterious alleles, maintaining functional integrity of the genome.
Supergene: A cluster of tightly linked genes that collectively govern complex phenotypic traits, such as floral morphs.
References
- Genetic Causes and Genomic Consequences of Breakdown of Distyly in Linum trigynum. Molecular Biology and Evolution (2024).
- Genomic diversity landscapes in outcrossing and selfing Caenorhabditis nematodes. PLOS Genetics (2023).
- Molecular Evolution of Freshwater Snails with Contrasting Mating Systems. Molecular Biology and Evolution (2015).
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