A Darwinian view of metabolism: molecular properties determine fitness.

doi:10.1093/jxb/erp002

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Article

A Darwinian view of metabolism: molecular properties determine fitness.

Journal of experimental botany - 1 Jan 2009

Firn Richard D, Jones Clive G

Abstract excerpt

Why do organisms make the types of chemicals that they do? Evolutionary theory tells us that individuals within populations will be subject to mutation and that some of those mutations will be enzyme variants that make new chemicals. A mutant making a novel chemical for that species will only survive in the population if the 'cost' of making the new chemical is outweighed by the benefits that result from making...

Topics

Biological Evolution
Metabolism
Mutation
Selection, Genetic

Source

Open in PubMed

Identifiers

PMID: 19213811
DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erp002

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