Alternative mutational architectures producing identical M-matrices can lead to different patterns of evolutionary divergence.

Abstract

Explaining macroevolutionary divergence in light of population genetics requires understanding the extent to which the patterns of mutational input contribute to long-term trends. In the context of quantitative traits, mutational input is typically described by the mutational variance-covariance matrix, the M-matrix, which summarizes phenotypic variances and covariances introduced by new mutations per generation. However, as a summary statistic, the M-matrix does not fully capture all the relevant information from the underlying mutational architecture, and there exist a myriad of possible underlying mutational architectures that give rise to the same M-matrix. Using individual-based simulations, we demonstrate mutational architectures that produce the same M-matrix can lead to different levels of constraint on evolution and result in difference in within-population genetic variance, between-population divergence, and rate of adaptation. In particular, the rate of adaptation and that of neutral evolution are both reduced when a greater proportion of loci are pleiotropic. Our results reveal that aspects of mutational input not reflected by the M-matrix can have a profound impact on long-term evolution, and suggest it is important to take them into account in order to connect patterns of long-term phenotypic evolution to underlying microevolutionary mechanisms.