Re:The largest study to date on the genetic basis of sexuali...
by Brian_K_White on Monday February 08, 2021 @03:45PM
(#26069869)
More than just that, as far as I can see, there is no reason this only applies to social species.
If it benefits the pool that x% of members have a trait, even full sterility, then the genetics will result in x% having that trait, as long as the benefit continues to exist.
I'm not sure what an example mechanism might be for some mountain cats or spiders or whatever that the species benefits from 4% of their members being sterile, but I see no reason that there couldn't be one, and it doesn't require the unfortunate exhibitors of the trait to preserve and occasionally produce the next exhibitor of the trait.
Re:The largest study to date on the genetic basis of sexuali...
by valarauko on Monday February 08, 2021 @05:10PM
(#26070907)
Let's assume the benefit is improved female fertility. If it's an autosomal trait, half of the carriers will be male, and lead to the vast majority of them refusing to have offspring. That would require the sisters to have a pretty spectacular bump in the number of offspring to offset their gay brothers. Indeed, since the trait is clearly polygenic, all the sisters do not inherit the trait equally, if at all. The sisters who do inherit it would have to be spectacularly fecund to compensate.
* the same gene can have different phenotypes in different individuals. One phenotype may be net negative but the benefit from the other makes it net positive.
* in social animal gene can be carried by relatives. Extreme example is ants and bees, most of them are not fertile but they help to spread their genes by helping those who are.