Kovel, C. de (1992) The relative importance of overdominance and partial dominance for the fate of small populations. Master's Thesis / Essay, Biology.
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Abstract
Monte-Carlo computer simulations were used to investigate the relative importance of the partial dominance model and the overdominance model for the fitness and the probability of extinction of small populations. When 12 loci under partial dominance were combined with 4 loci under overdominance, the effects of partial dominance on the population fitness were on average undetectable within 25 generations for most values of the selection coefficients. When the fertility of the population was high, partial dominance on 12 out of 16 loci increased the probability of extinction only slightly in the first generations, whereas overdominance on 4 out of 16 loci increased the probability of extinction substantial in all generations. When the fertility was low, partial dominance increased the probability of extinction in the first generations much more than when the fertility was high, but the effects of partial dominance did not exceed the effects of overdominance. The probability of extinction was higher when the selection against partially dominant alleles was weak (s=O.2), than when the selection was strong (s=l). It seemed that a long period of weak selection, wether caused by selection against partially dominant alleles or against overdominant alleles, was more harmful to small populations than a short period of rather strong selection. If overdominance is present on a few loci in a small population, its influence on population fitness and extinction probability may in many cases dominate the influence of partial dominance on many loci.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master's Thesis / Essay) |
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| Degree programme: | Biology |
| Thesis type: | Master's Thesis / Essay |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 15 Feb 2018 07:47 |
| Last Modified: | 15 Feb 2018 07:47 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/9973 |
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