A dominance-assimilated liability model for complex fitness traits

Opposing explanations for the evolution of dominance effects observed in genetic traits were first proposed by Fisher and Wright around a century ago. Over the last few decades, while Wright’s theory and extensions of it have reached the status of accepted paradigm, Fisher’s views have become widely disregarded. Here, a number of counterarguments are presented, including a modified version of his theory, which suggest that the core views of Fisher may instead be correct. Generalised implications for our current understanding of underlying genetic architectures of complex traits are also briefly discussed.