The book Advances in Evolutionary Algorithms, published by IN-TECH, is already online, with open acess. There you find the chapter Evolutionary Algorithms with Dissortative Mating on Static and Dynamic Environments, authored by me and Agostinho C. Rosa.
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Non-random mating, which encloses different kinds of strategies based on parenthood or likeness of the agents involved in the reproduction game, is frequently found in natural species, and it is believed to be predominant among vertebrates. Humans, for instance, mate preferentially outside their family tree: this non-random mating scheme is called outbreeding and has its opposite in inbreeding, a selection strategy where individuals mate preferentially with their relatives (Roughgarden, 1979; Russel, 1998). It is often stated that inbreeding decreases the genetic diversity in a population while outbreeding increases that same diversity (Russel, 1998). In addition, inbreeding will increase the normal rate of a harmful allele present in the family. If inbreeding is extensive and intensive, homozygozity will increase in frequency and the family experiences a growth in the genetic load (measure of all of the harmful recessive alleles in a population or family line) of the harmful allele.
Assortative mating is another non-random mating mechanism, in which individuals choose their mates according to phenotypic similarities (Roughgarden, 1979; Russel, 1998). When similar individuals mate more often than expected by chance, we are in presence of positive assortative mating (or assortative mating in the strict sense). When dissimilar individuals mate more often, the scheme is called negative assortative mating (or dissortative mating). In humans, assortative mating is well exemplified by the correlation between heights or intelligence in partners. On the other hand, humans do not mate assortatively with respect to blood groups. This kind of behavior, which selects assortatively for some traits and not others, makes it difficult to unmask the effects of assortative mating in the population. In fact, human assortative mating is not completely positive except for some small and isolated communities (the Old Order Amish, for instance).
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Carlos Miguel Fernandes
