Stepping stone models of finite length

Abstract

The stepping stone model of population structure, of finite length, is analysed with special reference to the variance, and correlation coefficients of gene frequencies. Explicit formulas for these quantities are obtained. The model is also analysed for the genetic variability maintained in the population. In order to check the validity of the analytical results, several numerical computations were carried out using two different methods: iterations and Monte Carlo experiments. The values obtained by these numerical methods agree well with the theoretical values obtained by formulas derived analytically.