This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. This is version 2 of this Preprint.
Q&A: Genetic Lineages
Downloads
Authors
Joanna Masel 
,
Daniel Jefferson Smith ,
Daniel Weinreich,
Jeremy Van Cleve
Abstract
Genetic lineages are key to understanding evolution in complex scenarios and the evolution of genetic systems. However, they are often misunderstood; for example, confused with alleles or pedigrees. Here, we provide an accessible introduction to genetic lineages in question and answer format, from their definition as a physical object in space-time to their empirical characterization through ancestral recombination graphs. We then illustrate how lineages are essential to a clear understanding of several cutting-edge problems, for which more classical population genetic techniques are inadequate.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.32942/X24098
Subjects
Evolution, Genetics, Population Biology
Keywords
evolvability; bet-hedging; evolution of mutation rate; evolution of recombination rate; incomplete lineage sorting; invasion fitness; social evolution
Dates
Published: 2026-09-01 11:43
Last Updated: 2026-09-01 11:43
Older Versions
License
CC BY Attribution 4.0 International
Additional Metadata
Conflict of interest statement:
None
Data and Code Availability Statement:
Not applicable
Language:
English
Metrics
Views: 43
Downloads: 5
There are no comments or no comments have been made public for this article.