Rapidly Evolving Genes and Genetic Systems

Ever since the pioneering work of Darwin and Wallace, evolutionary biologists have tried to understand the evolutionary dynamics of genetic systems. A range of theories on the rates of evolution-from static to gradual to punctuated to quantum-have been developed, mostly by comparing morphological changes over geological timescales as described in the fossil record. However, new paleontological, experimental, molecular, and genomic investigations have injected a tremendous amount of new data and fresh perspectives, offering valuable insights on the rates of evolutionary change, particularly in those fast-evolving genetic systems.

Rapidly Evolving Genes and Genetic Systems captures these recent exciting developments by bringing together information from morphological, molecular, cellular, developmental, and genetic investigations of both natural and experimental populations across a diversity of life forms. It provides case studies that exemplify rapid evolution, and showcases the diversity of rapidly evolving genes and genetic systems, emphasizing the extremely important roles that they play in adaptation, speciation, and the generation and maintenance of a diversity of biological traits and properties.

Foreword, Richard Lewontin
Preface
1. Introduction, Rama S. Singh, Jianping Xu, Rob J. Kulathinal
PART I: From Theory to Experiment
2. Theoretical perspectives on rapid evolutionary change, Sarah P. Otto
3. Recombination reshuffles the genotypic deck, thus accelerating the rate of evolution, Mihai Albu, Amir R. Kermany, Donal A. Hickey
4. Heterogeneity in neutral divergence across genomic regions induced by sex specific hybrid incompatibility, Seiji Kumagai and Marcy K. Uyenoyama
5. Rapid evolution in experimental populations of major life forms, Jianping Xu
PART II: Rapidly Evolving Genetic Elements
6. Rapid evolution of low complexity sequences and single amino acid repeats across Eukaryotes, Wilfried Haerty and G. Brian Golding
7. Fast rates of evolution in bacteria due to horizontal gene transfer, Weilong Hao
8. Rapid evolution of animal mitochondrial DNA, Xuhua Xia
9. Rapid evolution of centromeres and centromeric/ kinetochore proteins, Kevin C. Roach, Benjamin D. Ross, Harmit S. Malik
10. Rapid Evolution via chimeric genes, Rebekah L. Rogers and Daniel L. Hartl
11. Evolutionary interactions between sex chromosomes and autosomes, Manyuan Long, Maria D. Vibranovski, Yong E. Zhang
12. Evolutionary signatures in non-coding DNA, Dara G. Torgerson and Ryan D. Hernandez
PART III: Sex and Reproduction-Related Genetic Systems
13. Evolution of sperm-egg interaction, Melody R. Palmer and Willie J. Swanson
14. Rates of sea urchin bindin evolution, H. A. Lessios
15. Evolution of Drosophila seminal proteins and their networks, Alex Wong and Mariana F. Wolfner
16. Evolutionary genomics of the sperm proteome, Timothy L. Karr and Steve Dorus
17. Fast evolution of reproductive genes: When is selection sexual?, Alberto Civetta
18. Rapid morphological, behavioral, and ecological evolution in Drosophila: Comparisons between the endemic Hawaiian Drosophila and the cactophilic repleta species group, Patrick M. O'Grady and Therese Ann Markow
19. Ancient yet fast: rapid evolution of mating genes and mating systems in Fungi, Timothy Y. James
PART IV: Pathogens and their Hosts
20. Rapid evolution of innate immune response genes, Brian P. Lazzaro and Andrew G. Clark
21. Rapid evolution of the plague pathogen, Ruifu Yang, Yujun Cui, Dongsheng Zhou
22. Evolution of human erythrocyte-specific genes involved in malaria susceptibility, Wen-Ya Ko, Felicia Gomez, Sarah A. Tishkoff
PART V: From Gene Expression to Development to Speciation
23. The rapid evolution of gene expression, Carlo G. Artieri
24. Rate variation in the evolution of development: A phylogenetic perspective, Artyom Kopp
25. Natural hybridization as a catalyst of rapid evolutionary change, Michael L. Arnold, Jennafer A.P. Hamlin, Amanda N. Brothers, Evangeline S. Ballerini
26. Rapid evolution of pollinator-mediated plant reproductive isolation, Annika M. Moe, Wendy Clement, George D. Weiblen
27. Sexual system genomics and speciation, Rob J. Kulathinal and Rama S. Singh
Index