Theoretical Population and Quantitative Genetics and Speciation

这个项目关注的是导致种群内遗传变异的进化力量和物种之间的遗传差异。种群内的遗传变异通常表现为个体之间的明显差异，这是由于各种力量的微妙平衡：突变将变异注入种群，自然选择和/或随机因素消除变异。物种之间的遗传差异是由于这些相同的力量，尽管自然选择是进化适应的唯一原因。这项拟议的研究将探索这些力量的性质，特别关注消除变异的随机因素，引起个体之间生理差异的突变，以及导致不同物种产生不育或无法存活的后代的突变。这项研究的方法包括对进化模型进行数学分析和计算机模拟，然后将这些模型的性质与其他人获得的数据进行比较。这项工作的更广泛的意义涉及我们对遗传变异在诸如疾病易感性等重要人类性状和具有重要经济意义的农业性状中的影响的理解。此外，这项工作将对我们对人类起源和最近人类迁徙模式的理解产生深远的影响。

This project is concerned with the evolutionary forces that lead to genetic variation within populations and the genetic differences between species. Genetic variation within populations, which is often manifest as observable differences between individuals, is due to a delicate balance of forces: mutation injecting variation into populations and natural selection and/or random factors removing variation. Genetic differences between species are due to these same forces, although natural selection is the only cause of evolutionary adaptations. The proposed research will explore the nature of these forces, focusing in particular on the random factors that remove variation, on the mutations that caused physical differences between individuals, and on the mutations that cause different species to produce sterile or inviable offspring. The methodology for this research involves the mathematical analysis and computer simulation of models of evolution followed by a comparison of the properties of these models to data that has been obtained by others.The broader significance of this work concerns our understanding of the implications of genetic variation in such important human traits as disease susceptibility and in agricultural traits of economic importance. In addition, this work will have a profound impact on our understanding of human origins and the recent patterns of human migration.