Digest: Recreating ancestral trait variation to understand adaptation

Abstract

Two highly correlated anther traits affect pollination efficacy in a wild radish population. Does the strength and type of selection on these traits differ through male and female fitness with increased ancestral trait variation? Waterman et al. (2023) found stabilizing selection on one trait and disruptive selection on the other trait, with no difference between male and female fitness. Such quantifications of selection in populations with the increased variation that reflects ancestral trait variation provide insights into processes of trait adaptation.