Consider a collection of 50 distinct alleles, each at equal frequency in a population. The time before the first coalescent event will be shortest if A) N_e= 100. B) N_e = 100,000. C) N_e = 100,000,000. D) N_e = the census population size.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The time to the first coalescent event is proportional to the inverse of the effective population size (Ne), which is determined by the combination of the actual population size (N) and the degree of genetic drift (_e). Since all alleles are at equal frequency, the degree of genetic drift is the same for all options. Therefore, the choice with the smallest Ne is the one with the smallest N, which is option A.

Consider a Collection of 50 Distinct Alleles, Each at Equal