Population structure and

migration

Population structure
Recall the island example in which
isolated populations fixed different alleles
by genetic drift
The resulting set of subpopulations
represent a structured population in
which allele frequencies vary across
subpopulations
How does structure arise, what reduces
structure and how can we describe
structure?

Origins of population structure

Genetic drift - isolated populations drift
independently to different allele
frequencies
Selection in which different
subpopulations experience selection
favouring different alleles

Drift

Drift

Measuring population structure

We saw F when we considered
inbreeding
Wright actually created a series of F
statistics to describe various deviations
from Hardy-Weinberg expectations
For a set of subpopulations, compare the
level of heterozygosity expected if they
were a single random mating population
(HT) to what we actually observe (HS)

Measuring population structure

FST

HT H S

HT

HT H S
FST
HT

H T 2 pq

Measuring population structure

FST usually described as a reduction in
heterozygosity

FST

HT H S

HT

Much more intuitive to consider FST as a

measure of differences between
populations
var( p )

FST

pq

Measuring population structure

What reduces FST?

Migration (gene flow) moves alleles from
one population into another
Therefore migration must reduce the
variance in allele frequencies among
populations
Many models of migration

Continent-Island model
Large populations sends migrants to a
small population at a rate m
one way migration

Island approaches
continent allele
frequency at a rate
determined by m

Continent-Island model

Island model
Series of similar sized populations
exchange migrants at a rate m

Populations all
approach the
average allele
frequency at a rate
determined by m

Stepping-stone model
Series of similar sized populations
exchange migrants at a rate m
But migrants only move between adjacent
populations

Populations all approach the

average allele frequency at a rate
determined by m
But adjacent populations more
similar and allele frequencies can
exist in a gradient
Isolation by distance

Migration limits divergence

Drift continuously increases population
differences in allele frequencies, migration
reduces differences
processes will reach a migration-drift balance:

FST

1
1 4 Nm

where Nm is the total number of migrants

Migration limits divergence

Migration is very effective at removing
population differences
Equilibrium FST

1.0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0.0
0

Number of migrants per generation

(Nm)

Population structure and migration

can create linkage disequilibrium
Model selection favouring a dominance
allele (where s is the selection coefficient)