Abstract：
AbstractEvolutionary biologists have thought about the role of genetic variation during adaptation for a very long time-before we understood the organization of the genetic code, the provenance of genetic variation, and how such variation influenced the phenotypes on which natural selection acts. Half a century after the discovery of the structure of DNA and the unraveling of the genetic code, we have a rich understanding of these problems and the means to both delve deeper and widen our perspective across organisms and natural populations. The 2022 Vice Presidential Symposium of the American Society of Naturalists highlighted examples of recent insights into the role of genetic variation in adaptive processes, which are compiled in this special section. The work was conducted in different parts of the world, included theoretical and empirical studies with diverse organisms, and addressed distinct aspects of how genetic variation influences adaptation. In our introductory article to the special section, we discuss some important recent insights about the generation and maintenance of genetic variation, its impacts on phenotype and fitness, its fate in natural populations, and its role in driving adaptation. By placing the special section articles in the broader context of recent developments, we hope that this overview will also serve as a useful introduction to the field.
摘要：
进化生物学家思考遗传变异在适应过程中的作用很长一段时间——在我们理解遗传密码的组织之前，遗传变异的起源，以及这种变异如何影响自然选择所作用的表型。在发现DNA结构和解开遗传密码的半个世纪后，我们对这些问题有丰富的理解，也有办法更深入地研究和扩大我们对生物体和自然种群的看法。美国自然主义者协会2022年副总统研讨会强调了最近对遗传变异在适应过程中的作用的见解的例子。在这个特殊部分中编译。这项工作是在世界各地进行的，包括对不同生物的理论和实证研究，并讨论了遗传变异如何影响适应的不同方面。在我们特殊部分的介绍性文章中，我们讨论了关于遗传变异的产生和维持的一些重要的最新见解，它对表型和适应性的影响，它在自然种群中的命运，以及它在推动适应方面的作用。通过将特别章节的文章放在最近事态发展的更广泛背景下，我们希望这份概述也将成为该领域的有用介绍。
