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Ecological Genetics and the Evolution of Trace Element Hyperaccumulation in Plants
Published in Norman Terry, Gary Bañuelos, of Contaminated Soil and Water, 2020
A. Joseph Pollard, Keri L. Dandridge, Edward M. Jhee
Evolution is defined as change-over time in the genetic makeup of a population. The population genetic models of the Hardy-Weinberg law describe the factors that can potentially change gene frequencies in a population and thus drive evolution. These include genetic drift in small populations; mutations; migration or gene flow; non-random mating, including inbreeding; and natural selection, or differential fitness as measured through reproductive success. Most of these factors are essentially random; only natural selection directs change in such a way that a population becomes more suited to its environment over time.
Biodiversity: Conservation
Published in Yeqiao Wang, Terrestrial Ecosystems and Biodiversity, 2020
Darwin observed in his Origin of Species that “systematists are far from being pleased in finding variability in important characters,” and yet it is this genetic component that is the basis for evolution, and without it, evolution and adaptation cannot take place. From the origins of first life on Earth, genetic variation, adaptation, and evolution have led to the enormous diversity of life that we see today and in past extinct life-forms. The distribution of genetic variation within populations of individuals can also tell us a lot about migration between populations, past processes of colonization, and the effects of habitat disruption and loss. How variation is distributed within individuals of a population can also tell us about breeding structures (inbreeding versus outbreeding), reproductive success of different individuals, and a whole range of other patterns. Such genetic variation also leads to morphological variation in individuals—the kind of variation we see everyday when we look at ourselves as humans and other animals. In addition, the environment an individual lives in can also have an impact and lead to additional environmental variation. For example, the amount of food a larva of a Rhinoceros beetle has available to it will determine not just the size of the adult beetle but also the shape. Larger males will have larger horns and hence may be more competitive when courting females.
Evolutionary computation
Published in Richard E. Neapolitan, Xia Jiang, Artificial Intelligence, 2018
Richard E. Neapolitan, Xia Jiang
Evolution is the process of change in the genetic makeup of populations. Natural selection is the process by which organisms which have traits that better enable them to adapt to environmental pressures will tend to survive and reproduce in greater numbers than other similar organisms, thereby increasing the existence of those favorable traits in future generations.
Concentrations of toxic metals (Pb, Cd, Cr) in the tissues and their effects on diversification of Devario aequipinnatus populations
Published in International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 2018
Sabaridasan Arumugam, Soranam Ramaiah
Among the various toxic substances, toxic metals have an imperative role due to their sturdy impact on the stability of aquatic ecosystems, bioaccumulation in living organisms and toxicity persistence (Sekabira et al. 2010; Jiang et al. 2018). Fish gills are multifunctional organs involved in ion transport, gas exchange, acid–base regulation and waste excretion, and they also serve as metal-binding ligands (Teien et al. 2006a, 2006b). Liver is a detoxification organ and it is predominant mutually for metabolism and excretion of toxic substances in the fish body (Salamat and Zarie 2012). Certainly, to observe the health status of the entire population in cellular level, histological biomarkers are engaging in crucial tasks in the ecosystem (Velkova-Jordanoska and Kostoski 2005). Despite the consequences, abundant genetic variation frequently observed within populations and the widespread documentation of local adaptation among populations challenging the idea that the low genetic variation in niche traits exists in most populations (Futuyma 2010). The genetic variation executes the sources of evolution, enduring the organisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions (Hartl and Clark 2010). Still, a number of common species is still poorly known, especially in terms of its relationship with isolation and exposure to environmental pollution. To understand this, we have a preference for D. aequipinnatus to understand the fatal conditions of the aquatic ecosystems.
Understanding the role of genetic susceptibility (ACE2 and TMPRSS2) in COVID-19
Published in Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 2022
Abdullahi Tunde Aborode, Sherifdeen Bamidele Onigbinde, Khadijah Omoshalewa Sanusi, Noah Alaba, Aderinola H. Rasaq-Lawal, Babatunde Samuel Obadawo, Allison Olatoyosi, Saidat Omowunmi Adeniran-Obey, Victor Onwukwe, Uchenna Asogwa, Ridwan Iyanu Arinola, Seun Idowu Imani, Ayoola S. Fasawe, Ibukunoluwa Sodiya, Sherif Babatunde Adeyemi, Gaber El-Saber Batiha
Only germ cell variation is transferable and can be passed down from generation to generation, resulting in evolution and, more crucially, population dynamics [12]. Evolution is dependent on the genetic variation being passed down from generation to generation. Genetic variation enables living organisms to be distinct. The variety in facial shape, skin color, eye color, and hair color, among other characteristics, is caused by genetic variation [11]. Genetic diversity contributes to disease/infection susceptibility and how individuals respond to medications and treatments [11].
Hybrid gene regulatory network for product styling construction in interactive evolutionary design
Published in Journal of Engineering Design, 2023
Dong Zeng, Jingjing Miao, Chaogang Tang, Yaxin Long, Maoen He
Moreover, evolution is a pattern of change that results in heritable changes in which mutations create genetic variations. However, evolution is inefficient in implementation because the process requires many years of interpolation. In bio-medicine, global gene expression patterns are established by the combined actions of local catalytic reactions that convert a species into another. The interactions and constraints between genes facilitate a complex network structure known as the gene regulatory network (GRN), which is a systems biology concept (Angelin-Bonnet, Biggs, and Vignes 2019). The construction of a GRN model can ensure evolution efficiency by expressing and optimising a synergistic relationship among genes. The role of GRN models is to act as a tool to examine the interactions among genes, and predict behaviour. GRNs have two components. The first are the network nodes (genes), which are connected by the second component, i.e. edges (relationships between the nodes). GRNs also have valuable sub-networks, i.e. motifs, modules or groups that are repetitive or critically important nodes from the structural features of the network (Cussat-Blanc, Harrington, and Banzhaf 2019). In terms of product styling, the process consists of using a variety of different design elements. The outcome of the design is gradually generated by iterative refinement based on both knowledge of the design domain and personal preferences of the designer. If a GRN with both knowledge of the design domain and personal preferences is embedded in an IED, thus providing analytic knowledge such as the critical design elements and elements that work well together, then it is theoretically possible to control the direction of the product styling so that the process evolves in a favourable direction which will naturally enhance the design efficiency and quality. Therefore, this study proposes a method to construct a hybrid GRN model for product styling that integrates personal preferences and design knowledge and then applies the GRN to an IED for product styling to enhance evolutionary efficiency.