---
_id: '4299'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Evolutionary explanations of aging (or senescence) fall into two classes.
    First, organisms might have evolved the optimal life history, in which survival
    and fertility late in life are sacrificed for the sake of early reproduction or
    high pre-adult survival. Second, the life history might be depressed below this
    optimal compromise by the influx of deleterious mutations; since selection against
    late-acting mutations is weaker, deleterious mutations will impose a greater load
    on late life. We discuss ways in which these theories might be investigated and
    distinguished, with reference to experimental work withDrosophila. While genetic
    correlations between life history traits determine the immediate response to selection,
    they are hard to measure, and may not reflect the fundamental constraints on life
    history. Long term selection experiments are more likely to be informative. The
    third approach of using experimental manipulations suffers from some of the same
    problems as measures of genetic correlations; however, these two approaches may
    be fruitful when used together. The experimental results so far suggest that aging
    inDrosophila has evolved in part as a consequence of selection for an optimal
    life history, and in part as a result of accumulation of predominantly late-acting
    deleterious mutations. Quantification of these effects presents a major challenge
    for the future.
article_processing_charge: No
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Linda
  full_name: Partridge, Linda
  last_name: Partridge
- first_name: Nicholas H
  full_name: Barton, Nicholas H
  id: 4880FE40-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Barton
  orcid: 0000-0002-8548-5240
citation:
  ama: 'Partridge L, Barton NH. Evolution of aging: Testing the theory using Drosophila.
    <i>Genetica</i>. 1993;91(1-3):89-98. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01435990">10.1007/BF01435990</a>'
  apa: 'Partridge, L., &#38; Barton, N. H. (1993). Evolution of aging: Testing the
    theory using Drosophila. <i>Genetica</i>. Springer. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01435990">https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01435990</a>'
  chicago: 'Partridge, Linda, and Nicholas H Barton. “Evolution of Aging: Testing
    the Theory Using Drosophila.” <i>Genetica</i>. Springer, 1993. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01435990">https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01435990</a>.'
  ieee: 'L. Partridge and N. H. Barton, “Evolution of aging: Testing the theory using
    Drosophila,” <i>Genetica</i>, vol. 91, no. 1–3. Springer, pp. 89–98, 1993.'
  ista: 'Partridge L, Barton NH. 1993. Evolution of aging: Testing the theory using
    Drosophila. Genetica. 91(1–3), 89–98.'
  mla: 'Partridge, Linda, and Nicholas H. Barton. “Evolution of Aging: Testing the
    Theory Using Drosophila.” <i>Genetica</i>, vol. 91, no. 1–3, Springer, 1993, pp.
    89–98, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01435990">10.1007/BF01435990</a>.'
  short: L. Partridge, N.H. Barton, Genetica 91 (1993) 89–98.
date_created: 2018-12-11T12:08:07Z
date_published: 1993-01-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2022-06-02T10:00:56Z
day: '01'
doi: 10.1007/BF01435990
extern: '1'
external_id:
  pmid:
  - '8125281 '
intvolume: '        91'
issue: 1-3
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- url: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01435990
month: '01'
oa_version: None
page: 89 - 98
pmid: 1
publication: Genetica
publication_identifier:
  issn:
  - 0016-6707
publication_status: published
publisher: Springer
publist_id: '1769'
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: 'Evolution of aging: Testing the theory using Drosophila'
type: journal_article
user_id: ea97e931-d5af-11eb-85d4-e6957dddbf17
volume: 91
year: '1993'
...