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Updated: May 21, 2026

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
Published on: February 3, 2023
Chaotic dynamics of allele frequencies in condition-dependent mating systems
1Department of Mathematics and Statistics, P.O. Box 68 (Gustaf Hallstromin katu 2b), University of Helsinki, Helsinki FI-00014, Finland. tadeas.priklopil@helsinki.fi
Abstract:
I study the dynamics of allele frequencies in sexually reproducing populations where the choosy sex has a preference for condition-dependent displays of the opposite sex. The condition of an individual is assumed to be shaped by frequency-dependent selection. For sufficiently strong preferences the dynamics becomes increasingly complex, and periodic orbits and chaos are observed. Moreover, multiple attractors can exist simultaneously. The results hold also when the choosy sex is allowed to maintain a moderate level of assortative mating. Complex dynamics, a well studied phenomenon in a purely ecological setting, has been rarely observed in ecologically motivated population genetic models.
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