Evolutionary branching in a stochastic population model with discrete mutational steps

S. Sagitov, B. Mehlig, P. Jagers and V. Vatutin

Theoretical Population Biology, 2013, vol. 83, issue C, 145-154

Abstract: Evolutionary branching is analysed in a stochastic, individual-based population model under mutation and selection. In such models, the common assumption is that individual reproduction and life career are characterised by values of a trait, and also by population sizes, and that mutations lead to small changes ϵ in trait value. Then, traditionally, the evolutionary dynamics is studied in the limit ϵ→0. In the present approach, small but non-negligible mutational steps are considered. By means of theoretical analysis in the limit of infinitely large populations, as well as computer simulations, we demonstrate how discrete mutational steps affect the patterns of evolutionary branching. We also argue that the average time to the first branching depends in a sensitive way on both mutational step size and population size.

Keywords: Evolutionary branching; Genetic drift; Selection; Adaptation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040580912000913
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:thpobi:v:83:y:2013:i:c:p:145-154

DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2012.09.002

Access Statistics for this article

Theoretical Population Biology is currently edited by Jeremy Van Cleve

More articles in Theoretical Population Biology from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().