Migration-selection balance at multiple Loci and selection on dominance and recombination

Area of Science:

• Population genetics
• Evolutionary biology
• Quantitative genetics

Background:

• Deleterious multilocus genotypes introduce genetic load.
• Immigrant genes are eventually eliminated by selection.
• Population structure can be inferred from immigrant lineages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel method for inferring population structure.
• To estimate selection on invading modifiers of dominance and recombination.
• To analyze the impact of immigrant genotype size on migration load.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a branching process within a single immigrant lineage.
• Approximating simulations with all possible multilocus genotypes.
• Calculating genetic load and foreign genotype frequencies.

Main Results:

• The novel method approximates simulations under low migration/recombination.
• Dominance modifiers invade faster than recombination modifiers in specific scenarios.
• Immigrant genotype size has a non-monotonic effect on migration load and invasion rate.

Conclusions:

• Population structure can be inferred from immigrant lineages under specific conditions.
• Selection pressures on modifiers vary based on their type and environmental factors.
• Moderate-sized immigrant genotypes impose the heaviest genetic load.