Fisher’s geometric model predicts the effects of random mutations when tested in the wild

Fisher's Geometric Model of Adaptation (FGM) has been the conceptual foundation for studies investigating the genetic basis of adaptation since the onset of the neo Darwinian synthesis. FGM describes adaptation as the movement of a genotype toward a fitness optimum due to beneficial mutations. To date, one prediction of FGM, the probability of improvement is related to the distance from the optimum, has only been tested in microorganisms under laboratory conditions. There is reason to believe that results might differ under natural conditions where more mutations likely affect fitness, and where environmental variance may obscure the expected pattern. We chemically induced mutations into a set of 19 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions from across the native range of A. thaliana and planted them alongside the premutated founder lines in two habitats in the mid-Atlantic region of the USA under field conditions. We show that FGM is able to predict the outcome of a set of random induced mutatio...

费希尔适应几何模型（Fisher's Geometric Model of Adaptation, FGM）自新达尔文主义综合学说诞生以来，便一直是探究适应遗传基础的相关研究的概念基石。该模型将适应过程描述为基因型因有益突变而朝着适应度最优点移动的过程。迄今为止，费希尔适应几何模型的一项核心预测——适应改善概率与至最优点的距离呈相关关系——仅在实验室条件下的微生物中得到过验证。有理由认为，在自然条件下实验结果可能会有所不同：自然环境中往往有更多突变会影响个体适应度，且环境异质性可能会掩盖预期的模式。我们通过化学诱导的方式，对19份来自拟南芥（Arabidopsis thaliana）原生分布区域的拟南芥种质资源进行诱变，并将诱变后的材料与诱变前的创始株系一同种植于美国大西洋中部地区的两处野外生境中。研究结果表明，费希尔适应几何模型能够预测一系列随机诱导诱变的结果……