A Nearly Neutral Model of Molecular Signatures of Natural Selection after Change in Population Size.

ABSTRACT: The nearly neutral theory is a common framework to describe natural selection at the molecular level. This theory emphasizes the importance of slightly deleterious mutations by recognizing their ability to segregate and eventually get fixed due to genetic drift in spite of the presence of purifying selection. As genetic drift is stronger in smaller than in larger populations, a correlation between population size and molecular measures of natural selection is expected within the nearly neutral theory. However, this hypothesis was originally formulated under equilibrium conditions. As most natural populations are not in equilibrium, testing the relationship empirically may lead to confounded outcomes. Demographic nonequilibria, for instance following a change in population size, are common

SUBMITTER: Muller R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9127441 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature