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Optimally, mutation and the evolution of ageing

Nature volume 362, pages 305–311 (1993)Cite this article

Abstract

Evolutionary explanations of ageing fall into two classes. Organisms might have evolved the optimal life history, in which survival and fertility late in life are sacrificed for the sake of early reproduction and survival. Alternatively, the life history might be depressed below this optimal compromise by deleterious mutations: because selection against late-acting mutations is weaker, these will impose a greater load on late life. Evidence for the importance of both is emerging, and unravelling their relative importance presents experimentalists with a major challenge.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAPB, Division of Biological Sciences, Edinburgh University, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JT, UK

    L. Partridge & N. H. Barton

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  1. L. Partridge
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Partridge, L., Barton, N. Optimally, mutation and the evolution of ageing. Nature 362, 305–311 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/362305a0

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