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Dryad

Data from: A framework for estimating the fixation time of an advantageous allele in stepping-stone models

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May 22, 2012 version files 10.08 KB

Abstract

Determining how population subdivision increases the fixation time of an advantageous allele is an important problem in evolutionary genetics as this influences many processes. Here, I lay out a framework for calculating the fixation time of a positively selected allele in a subdivided population, as a function of the number of demes present, the migration rate between them, and the manner in which they are connected. Using this framework it becomes clear that a beneficial allele's fixation time is significantly reduced through migration continuously introducing copies of the allele into a newly-colonised subpopulation, increasing its frequency within these demes. The effect that migration has on allele frequency needs to be explicitly taken into account to produce a realistic estimate of fixation time. This behaviour is most prominent when demes are arranged on a two-dimensional torus, in comparison to populations where demes are arranged in a circle. This is because each subpopulation is connected to several neighbours over a torus, so that there are multiple paths that an allele can take in order to fix. As a consequence, some demes experience a greater influx and efflux of migrants than others. Analytical results are found to be very accurate when compared to stochastic simulations, and are generally robust if there are a large number of demes, or if the allele is weakly selected for.