Linked selected and neutral loci in heterogeneous environments.

Abstract

We analyze a system of ordinary differential equations modeling haplotype frequencies at a physically linked pair of loci, one selected and one neutral, in a population consisting of two demes with divergent selection regimes. The system is singularly perturbed, with the migration rate m between the demes serving as a small parameter. We use geometric singular perturbation theory to show that when m is sufficiently small, each solution not initially fixed for the same selected allele in both demes approaches one of a 1-dimensional continuum of equilibria. We then obtain asymptotic expansions of the solutions and show their validity on arbitrarily long finite time intervals. From these expansions we obtain formulas for the transient dynamics of F(ST) (a measure of population structure) at both loci, as well as for the rate of genotyping error if the allelic state at the selected locus is inferred from that at the neutral (marker) locus. We examine two cases in detail, one modeling two populations in secondary contact after a period of evolution in allopatry, and the other modeling the origination and spread of a resistance allele.