Recurrent model of the dependence of a recessive lethal mutation on fitness components and its solution

Abstract

Experimental modeling and subsequent analysis of microevolutionary processes often involves estimation of fitness components, such as male mating competitiveness, female fecundity, progeny viability, meiotic drive upon the formation of sexual products, and so on. In this connection, we have developed a new method for estimating the relationship among fitness components and their effect on selection on frequencies of the mutant individuals in several generations, which can be applied to the case of rapid elimination of a lethal mutation from the population. The method of estimating unknown fitness components is based on the known estimates of other components and a relationship among the known and unknown components calculated from the frequency dynamics. Using the new method, a biological explanation of non-uniqueness of the admissible solutions. The method employs analysis of the form of the admissible solution region (at preset confidence intervals for the observed frequencies) in the space of the possible values.