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April 15th, 2025
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evolutionary biology
biorxiv

Sign epistasis extends the effects of balancing selection on genetic diversity

Khudiakova, K. A.Open in Google Scholar•Barton, N. H.Open in Google Scholar•Arnqvist, G.Open in Google Scholar

Balancing selection, a form of selection that maintains genetic diversity, is difficult to detect, and the importance of balancing selection for the maintenance of genetic variation may be larger than often assumed. We use modeling to explore the possibility that the diversity-promoting effects of balancing selection extend to other loci that show sign epistasis with a locus under balancing selection. We delineate the conditions under which this can occur in diploids and find that the recombination rate and the dominance of sign epistasis are key parameters that determine the maintenance of polymorphism beyond the locus under direct balancing selection. We suggest that the effect we explore may play a significant role, especially when balancing selection acts on major effect loci.

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