The Possible Microevolutionary Consequences of the Hierarchical Structure of Vertebrate Populations

摘要

The possible evolutionary consequences of the hierarchical structure (HS) of populations are considered. It is demonstrated that HS is inherent in all vertebrates, although it varies in different tuxa, including species, and within species areas. Theevolutionary role of the HS is a multilevel control of genetic variation by natural selection, which increases the selection effectiveness, as well as the possibility of population divergence starting from the lower hierarchical levels. In addition, theHS increases the tolerance of species populations for a deteriorated environment.