Rate of molecular evolution and pleiotropy on the evolutionary trajectories of penguin genes

Rate of molecular evolution and pleiotropy on the evolutionary trajectories of penguin genes | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Rate of molecular evolution and pleiotropy on the evolutionary trajectories of penguin genes Felipe Avello-Duarte, Luis Pertierra, Juliana Vianna, Pablo Razeto-Barry, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6933349/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Genes that participate in multiple biological processes through the proteins they encode can experience mutations that alter more than one of these functions. This potential for pleiotropic changes is known to modify the proportion of mutations that reach fixation, i.e., the molecular evolutionary rate of the gene. Simulations and empirical evidence suggest a negative correlation between the pleiotropic level of a gene and its rate of evolution. Nonetheless, this relation has not been studied under realistic settings that include the temporal and environmental context under which lineages and genomes evolve. Using Fisher’s geometric model (FGM), we demonstrate that this relationship develops over time, transitioning through three phases characterized by distinct signs and magnitudes of the pleiotropic effect, and that the onset of the pleiotropic effect depends on the initial fitness of the population. Analysis of over 8,000 genes from 15 penguin species reveals a robust concordance with theoretical predictions. Our findings exemplify how the increasing availability of high-resolution genomic datasets has significantly enhanced our ability to test evolutionary hypotheses raised by theoretical models. Biological sciences/Evolution/Molecular evolution Biological sciences/Evolution/Evolutionary theory Biological sciences/Computational biology and bioinformatics/Computational models Biological sciences/Computational biology and bioinformatics/Gene ontology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files Supplementary.pdf Supplementary Information Data.xlsx Dataset 1 r.pdf Reporting Summary sp.pdf Code and Software Submission Checklist Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6933349","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":492531097,"identity":"b0c6136a-5d0a-4e49-9402-afed24cb7377","order_by":0,"name":"Felipe 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