Shift-inducible increase in recombination rate as an evolving strategy in a periodic environment: a numerical model

Abstract

Numerous empirical studies have witnessed a plastic increase in meiotic recombination rate in organisms experiencing physiological stress due to unfavourable environmental conditions. Yet, it is not clear enough which characteristics of an ecological factor (intensity, duration, variability, etc.) make it stressogenic and therefore recombinogenic for an organism. Several previous theoretical models proceeded from the assumption that organisms increase their recombination rate when the environment becomes more severe, and demonstrated the evolutionary advantage of such recombination strategy. Here we explore another stress-associated recombination strategy, implying a reversible increase in recombination rate each time when the environment alternates. We allow such plastic changes in the organisms, grown in an environment different from that of their parents, and, optionally, also in their offspring. We show that such shift-inducible recombination is always favoured over intermediate constant optimal recombination. Besides, it sometimes outcompetes also zero and free optimal constant recombination, therefore making selection on recombination less polarized. Shift-inducible strategies with a longer, transgenerational plastic effect, are favoured under slightly stronger selection and longer period. These results hold for both panmixia and partial selfing, although selfing makes the dynamics of recombination modifier alleles faster. Our results suggest that epigenetic factors, presumably underlying the environmental plasticity of recombination, may play an important evolutionary role.