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Mutation Accumulation Theory

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

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Definition

Mutation accumulation theory describes two interconnected bodies of theory: (i) Germ-line mutation accumulation theory attempts to understand both the consequences of and the processes by which a population’s load or burden of spontaneously occurring germ-line mutations increases in the absence of purifying selection, which results from the fitness diminishing effects of these mutations, and (ii) Somatic mutation accumulation theory encompasses the related phenomenon of cell lineages within multicellular organisms accumulating mutations as a result of failures of DNA repair in the course of mitotic cell division. These phenomena have important implications for understanding the origin of variance and covariance among fitness salient traits and the maintenance of population viability in the case of germ-line mutation accumulation and senescence and oncogenesis (the mechanisms by which cancer-causing neoplasms form) in the case of somatic mutation accumulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center Leo Apostel for Interdisciplinary Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium

    Michael A. Woodley of Menie

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  1. Michael A. Woodley of Menie
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Correspondence to Michael A. Woodley of Menie .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Psychology, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL, USA

    Curtis S. Dunkel

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Woodley of Menie, M.A. (2018). Mutation Accumulation Theory. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2363-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2363-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Mutation Accumulation Theory
    Published:
    24 April 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2363-3

  2. Mutation Accumulation Theory
    Published:
    10 February 2017

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2363-2

  3. Original

    Mutation Accumulation Theory
    Published:
    12 October 2016

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2363-1

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