Gene duplication with subsequent divergence plays a central role in the 
acquisition of genes with novel function and complexity during the course of 
evolution. With reduced functional constraints or through positive selection, 
these duplicated genes may experience accelerated evolution. Under the model of 
subfunctionalization, loss of subfunctions leads to complementary acceleration 
at sites with two copies, and the difference in average rate between the 
sequences may not be obvious. On the other hand, the classical model of 
neofunctionalization predicts that the evolutionary rate in one of the two 
duplicates is accelerated. However, the classical model does not tell which of 
the duplicates experiences the acceleration in evolutionary rate. Here, we 
present evidence from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome that a duplicate 
located in a genomic region with a low-recombination rate is likely to evolve 
faster than a duplicate in an area of high recombination. This observation is 
consistent with population genetics theory that predicts that purifying 
selection is less effective in genomic regions of low recombination 
(Hill-Robertson effect). Together with previous studies, our results suggest the 
genomic background (e.g., local recombination rate) as a potential force to 
drive the divergence between nontandemly duplicated genes. This implies the 
importance of structure and complexity of genomes in the diversification of 
organisms via gene duplications.