Hill-Robertson Interference
Updated 2026-08-08
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
Described by Bill Hill and Alan Robertson, this population-genetics effect arises because linked loci do not segregate independently. Beneficial mutations that sit close together on a chromosome rise or fall as a unit, so selection cannot fix both efficiently and genetic drift can eliminate a favorable variant along with its neighbor. Recombination relieves the interference, which is one reason sex is thought to be advantageous.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
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- Look for coupling: ask whether two strengths are attached so tightly that they rise and fall together - Decouple to evolve: separate the features so each can be selected on its own merits - Accept the trade: expect slower progress wherever traits cannot be separated cleanly
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Because linked loci travel together, selection acting on one drags the other along, and drift affecting one removes the other. The effective population size available to selection shrinks, so weakly beneficial mutations are lost more often than independent assortment would predict. Recombination breaks the linkage and restores the ability to select each site separately.
MINIMUM ACTION
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hill%E2%80%93Robertson_effectverified
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