Anders defended his thesis titled “Understanding mating system evolution through genetically explicit modelling” where he used mainly genetically explicit modelling frameworks to answer a series of questions in mating system evolution, such as how inbreeding mating systems can evade extinctions due to mutational meltdown, the role of kin selection in the transition from outcrossing population to inbreeding mating system, and evolution of nuptial gifts.

  1. He developed new theory explaining how inbreeding mating systems can evade extinctions due to mutational meltdown through eco-evolutionary dynamics emerging due to evolving dispersal, strong population structure and genetic stochasticity, providing an explanation for the conundrum of the continued persistence of highly structured populations with inbreeding mating systems occurring in diverse taxa (Charmouh et al. 2022, Evolution). Results showed that genetic stochasticity in highly structured metapopulations can result in local extinctions, which can favor increased dispersal, thus allowing recolonization of empty habitat patches. This causes fluctuations in metapopulation size and transient gene flow, which reduces genetic load and increases metapopulation persistence over evolutionary time.
  2. He explored the role of kin selection in the transition from outcrossing population to inbreeding mating system showing that that altruism may facilitate this transition by decreasing the inbreeding load and ameliorating inbreeding depression.
  3. Central to a genetically explicit evolutionary model is the distribution of fitness effects (DFE), which determines the effect size of new mutations. To improve inference and modelling of the DFE, Anders tested the validity of a new partially gamma-distributed DFE model and showed that this modelling approach can result in model artifacts and artificial maximization of the model likelihood (Charmouh et al. accepted, G3:Genes|Genomes|Genetics; preprint).
  4. Anders also investigated mating system evolution at the behavioural scale by using a time-in, time-out model to derive conditions necessary for evolution of nuptial gifts to occur. preprint

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  1. Pingback: Congratulations to Dr Anders Poulsen Charmouh! | Matthew Hartfield's Lab Group

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