The fixation probability of beneficial mutations

Z. Patwa & L.M. Wahl*

Applied Mathematics, University of Western Ontario, Middlesex College 255,
London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7

*Author for correspondence lwahl@uwo.ca

Received 6 June 2008; Accepted 3 July 2008

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Abstract
The fixation probability, the probability that the frequency of a particular
allele in a population will ultimately reach unity, is one of the
cornerstones of population genetics. In this review, we give a brief
historical overview of mathematical approaches used to estimate the fixation
probability of beneficial alleles. We then focus on more recent work that
has relaxed some of the key assumptions in these early papers, providing
estimates that have wider applicability to both natural and laboratory
settings. In the final section, we address the possibility of future work
that might bridge the gap between theoretical results to date and results
that might realistically be applied to the experimental evolution of
microbial populations. Our aim is to highlight the concrete, testable
predictions that have arisen from the theoretical literature, with the
intention of further motivating the invaluable interplay between theory and
experiment.

Keywords: population genetics; fixation probability; extinction probability

Source: The Royal Society [Open Access paper]
http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/j215g47342371306/fulltext.html

Posted by
Robert Karl Stonjek