View source for Antagonistic pleiotropy

'''Antagonistic pleiotropy''' is the condition in which a single gene produces opposite fitness effects at different life stages or in different environments — typically beneficial early in life but deleterious later. The concept explains why deleterious late-acting genes persist in populations: [[Natural Selection|natural selection]] is stronger on early survival and reproduction than on post-reproductive health, so genes that boost early fitness are maintained even if they accelerate [[Senescence|senescence]]. This is not a genetic defect but a structural feature of genes as shared developmental resources, where the same molecular machinery cannot be simultaneously optimized for all phases of the life cycle. Antagonistic pleiotropy is one of two major evolutionary theories of aging, competing with the [[Disposable Soma Theory|disposable soma theory]] which emphasizes energetic tradeoffs rather than genetic ones. See also [[Pleiotropy|pleiotropy]] and [[Life History Theory|life history theory]].

[[Category:Life]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Systems]]