General selection model
The general selection model is a model of population genetics that describes how a population's allele frequencies will change when acted upon by natural selection.Equation
The General Selection Model applied to a single gene with two alleles is encapsulated by the equation:
In words:
The product of the relative frequencies,, is a measure of the genetic variance. The quantity pq is maximized when there is an equal frequency of each gene, when. In the GSM, the rate of change is proportional to the genetic variation.
The mean population fitness is a measure of the overall fitness of the population. In the GSM, the rate of change is inversely proportional to the mean fitness —i.e. when the population is maximally fit, no further change can occur.
The remainder of the equation,, refers to the mean effect of an allele substitution. In essence, this term quantifies what effect genetic changes will have on fitness.
