The common ancestor process revisited

Bull Math Biol. 2013 Nov;75(11):2003-27. doi: 10.1007/s11538-013-9871-0. Epub 2013 Sep 18.

Abstract

We consider the Moran model in continuous time with two types, mutation, and selection. We concentrate on the ancestral line and its stationary type distribution. Building on work by Fearnhead (J. Appl. Probab. 39 (2002), 38-54) and Taylor (Electron. J. Probab. 12 (2007), 808-847), we characterise this distribution via the fixation probability of the offspring of all individuals of favourable type (regardless of the offspring's types). We concentrate on a finite population and stay with the resulting discrete setting all the way through. This way, we extend previous results and gain new insight into the underlying particle picture.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Genetics, Population / statistics & numerical data*
  • Markov Chains
  • Mathematical Concepts
  • Models, Genetic*
  • Mutation
  • Selection, Genetic