The evolution of genomic anatomy

Abstract

Just as Darwin applied his theory of natural selection to understand the details of natural history, so others have applied the idea to almost every aspect of biology from morphology to medicine. Can we similarly comprehend the rapidly accumulating details of the natural history of genomes or is selection not that strong a force? Recent case histories indicate that selection can affect everything from minuscule details, such as codon usage, to broader scale patterns, such as the linkage arrangement of genes, their chromosomal position and copy number. Although we should not assume that the structure of genomes is exclusively the result of history and chance, few generalities are presently possible because evidence is largely restricted to case-by-case analyses.