Questions tagged [population-biology]
Questions pertaining to populations of organisms.
29 questions
5
votes
1
answer
853
views
Drake's Law. What is the genome-wide mutation rate and what are the estimates?
Drake's rule
Drake's rule states that the genome-wide mutation rate is more or less constant across all species — from E.coli to the house sparrow.
Data
From what I think being Drake's original ...
- 68.3k
8
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Effect of sex-ratio on the effective population size
As stated on this wikipedia article, the effective population size $N_e$ when the sex ratio differs from $\frac{1}{2}$ is
$$N_e = \frac{4N_mN_f}{N_m+N_f}$$
I understand the biased sex-ratio ...
- 68.3k
7
votes
1
answer
344
views
Variance in Fst in the infinite island model
The most famous result in the study of structured populations come from Sewall Wright. He showed that in an island model, where each subpopulation is of size $N$ and the migration rate is $m$, then ...
- 68.3k
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why does the number of mutations per individuals follow a Poisson distribution?
I was reading this review. On page 11, left column, first paragraph, one can read:
[..] there is a Poisson distribution of the equilibrium number of mutations per individual, if fitness effects are ...
- 68.3k
2
votes
1
answer
122
views
Additive genetic variance with $n$ loci
The genetic variance of a quantitative trait (the quantitative trait in question is fitness) can be express as the sum of two components, the dominance and additive variance:
$$\sigma_D^2 + \sigma_A^...
- 68.3k
2
votes
1
answer
200
views
Additive genetic variance with $n$ alleles
The genetic variance of a quantitative trait (the quantitative trait in question is fitness) can be express as the sum of two components, the dominance and additive variance:
$$\sigma_D^2 + \sigma_A^...
- 68.3k
11
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Is global life expectancy normally distributed?
I am trying to find out what the world distribution of life expectancy looks like.
- 470
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How many eukaryotes are there on Earth?
I have been reading:
William B. Whitman, David C. Coleman, and William J. Wiebe, "Prokaryotes: The unseen majority", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, pp. 6578–6583, June 1998. [Full Text] [PDF]
...
- 507
7
votes
1
answer
213
views
How is (Insect) population control through male sterilization effective
This is no doubt a simple question.
I was reading about Sterile Insect Technique where sterile males out-compete non-sterile ones to mate with females and thus reduce the population.
My question ...
- 171
7
votes
2
answers
224
views
Within and Between Allelic Class Diversity
I am reading Charlesworth et al. 1997. They talk about diversity within and between allelic classes.
Nucleotide diversities ($π$) at each neutral site were estimated from the mean of $2 \sum z_t (1-...
- 68.3k
6
votes
1
answer
109
views
Viruses in human history
How much do we know about ancient viruses and the viral evolution throughout the human history?
To my knowledge the HIV history has been rather well documented for about hundred years back (e.g., see ...
- 3,872
5
votes
1
answer
4k
views
How do I calculate the change in allele frequency in a haploid population under selection?
From this book
For simplicity, let us consider a haploid organism and assume that the frequencies of alleles $A_1$ and $A_2$ are given by $x$ and $y=1-x$, respectively. We also assume that the ...
- 68.3k
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Initial population when I count backwards?
My question deals with the number of ancestors it took to produce me:
--> To produce me, it took 2 people (my parents) = ($2^1$) people = 2
--> One generation further included = ($2^1 + 2^2$) ...
- 153
5
votes
1
answer
786
views
History: Do evolutionary and ecological processes occur at the same timescales?
Classically, it was thought that evolutionary processes occurred at a much slower pace than demographic/ecological processes. Nobody, ever thought about incorporating both processes into the same ...
- 68.3k
4
votes
1
answer
816
views
How to calculate the effective population size ($N_e$) with overlapping generations?
From this Source: If generations are overlapping, then the effective population size $N_e$ does not equal the population size $N$.
I know mathematical formulations in order to find the effective ...
- 68.3k
4
votes
1
answer
827
views
How could one calculate the gene flow between two populations?
Imagine there are two populations X and Y, and for each population you have the genotypes of each individual in that population (e.g. Aa, AA, aa, etc.), but for multiple loci (e.g. AABb).
How could ...
- 3,587
4
votes
1
answer
316
views
Guide to learning about Population biology / ecology / dynamics for a non-Biologist
I'm an applied mathematician who works in the field of feedback control systems but has been becoming interested in looking at population biology (e.g. Lotka-Volterra, Mathusian growth,etc.) from a ...
- 171
4
votes
1
answer
433
views
Book recommendation on selective breeding?
I am looking for a good book that gives a nice overview of the science and technics of selective breeding. I am particularly interested in the use of population genetics to support decision in this ...
- 68.3k
4
votes
0
answers
98
views
$F_{ST}$ and the genetic variance in metapopulations
From this video (21'15''), the speaker gives the following formulae in order to calculate the between and among populations genetic variance from the $F_{ST}$:
$$V_{Among Pop} = 2 F_{ST}V_G$$
$$V_{...
- 68.3k
3
votes
1
answer
435
views
How to determine the relationship of competition or cooperation?
I am currently studying the interaction of Twitter memes (two or many), such as competition and cooperation. Is there any model or method in biology that can identify the types of the relationship, ...
- 131
3
votes
1
answer
227
views
Inbreeding depression and dominance
From this article, second paragraph of the second page
A classic theoretical result is that the mean of a character controlled by a single locus i with two alleles Ai1 and Ai2 is only affected by ...
- 68.3k
3
votes
2
answers
144
views
Heterozygosity under genetic drift
The wright-Fisher model of genetic drift is:
$$p_{ij} = \binom{2N}{j}\left(\frac{i}{2N}\right)^j \left(1- \frac{i}{2N}\right)^{2N-j} $$
,where $\binom{2N}{j}$ is a binomial coefficient.
From this ...
- 68.3k
2
votes
0
answers
76
views
Is a nightly curfew an effective intervention strategy for limiting the spread of an infectious disease? [closed]
The governing bodies of several geographic areas hit by disease outbreaks will sometimes impose a nightly curfew on their citizens, restricting or limiting the ability of their citizens from going ...
- 252
1
vote
1
answer
58
views
Dominance/recessivity of new mutations
What is the distribution/probability density function (PDF) of recessivity/dominance of new mutations?
I very welcome any partial answer that does not give the whole PDF but just some information ...
- 68.3k
1
vote
2
answers
214
views
Effect on fitness of mutations
What is the distribution/probability density function (PDF) of impacts on fitness of new mutations?
I very welcome any partial answer that does not give the whole PDF but just some information about ...
- 68.3k
1
vote
1
answer
3k
views
Hardy-Weinberg applied to three alleles and stimation of allele frequencies
I have this equation:
Corresponds to HW in equilibria with three alleles:
$(p+q+r)^2=1$
Expanding the square results:
$p^2+2pq+r^2+2pr+q^2+2qr = 1$
I need to separate homozygous and ...
1
vote
1
answer
123
views
Human population growth - where can I find the data?
Out of curiosity, I'd like play around with data of human global demography.
Where can I find data that describe the "per region (per continent for example) population size" versus time since the "...
- 68.3k
1
vote
1
answer
332
views
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium generalized to add inbreeding (non-random mating)
Background
Quoting from Gillespie's book
The level of inbreeding is measured by the inbreeding coefficient, $F_I$, which is the probability that two alleles in an individual are identity by ...
- 68.3k
0
votes
1
answer
92
views
Accurate surveys of urban pigeon and bird populations
I've been working on an assignment to develop mathematical models of urban pigeon populations. (As a disclaimer, this is part of a math course, not a biology course). I already understand the ...
