SOME GENERALIZED THEOREMS OF NATURAL SELECTION

Abstract

An account of natural selection is presented which makes no assumption about fixed degree of inbreeding, and which takes into explicit account the effect of population density. Simple analogues of Fisher''s Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection and of Haldane''s work on the number of selective deaths during gene substitution are proved. The analogue of Haldane''s work also enables us to estimate the number of animal-hours of life which are lost due to poor genotype. In all of these, the carrying capacity of the environment, K, replaces fitness as the agent controlling the action of natural selection.