The use of electronic computation in the study of random fluctuations in rapidly evolving populations

Abstract

Electronic computing techniques have been used to superimpose random fluctuations on calculations of the evolutionary sequence from heterostyly to homostyly in Primula vulgaris and on gene flow between populations. The effect of such fluctuations has been studied by considering isolated populations, and also groups of populations in an imaginary map. It is shown that the considerable irregularities in homostyle distribution which are found in natural populations can be accounted for by random fluctuations, and it has been possible to produce by electronic computation artificial maps which correspond very well with the real maps of natural homostyle distribution. An appendix outlines the computing methods used.