Abstract:

Since it was first realized, more than two decades ago, that genetic diversity is positively correlated to the rate of recombination in Drosophila there has been considerable interest in understanding the factors that affect the levels of genetic diversity, both between species and within a genome. It has been shown, in humans, that selection at linked sites significantly affect the patterns of genetic diversity and the efficiency of natural selection along the genome. However, we do not know the relative contributions of recombination, mutation and gene density to the intensity of linked selection on selected and neutral sites. We provide the first quantification of these contributions not only in humans but also in chimpanzees, bonobos and gorillas. ​Furthermore, I will show that the efficacy of negative selection varies systematically along the genome of these species as so does in fruit flies. This last result can have important consequences on our understanding of fine-scale recombination rate evolution.