The Neutral Theory in Light of Natural Selection
Andrew D Kern Matthew W Hahn
Molecular Biology and Evolution, Volume 35, Issue 6, 1 June 2018, Pages 1366–1371, https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msy092
Published: 02 May 2018
Abstract
In this perspective, we evaluate the explanatory power of the neutral theory of molecular evolution, 50 years after its introduction by Kimura. We argue that the neutral theory was supported by unreliable theoretical and empirical evidence from the beginning, and that in light of modern, genome-scale data, we can firmly reject its universality. The ubiquity of adaptive variation both within and between species means that a more comprehensive theory of molecular evolution must be sought.
Keywords natural selection, neutral theory, population genetics
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