A symmetric two locus model with viability and fertility selection (Q1068756)

The authors investigate a deterministic two locus-two alleles model for a random mating population with discrete generations. The first locus is under fertility selection, the second under viability selection with both forms of selection completely symmetric. There exist numerous equilibria, whose existence and stability conditions are studied in great detail. Besides the boundary equilibria, occurring from the respective one locus equilibria, there are polymorphic equilibria with one locus symmetry and two locus symmetry and a unique central symmetric polymorphism, where each of the 16 genotypes has equal frequency. It is shown that linkage equilibrium may occur at two different equilibrium points and that for a two locus polymorphism to be stable, it is necessary (but not sufficient) that the viability locus be overdominant. It is not necessary that the fertility locus, considered separately, supports a stable polymorphism. Also a numerical analysis is provided, which shows that there may exist some further equilibria (but no completely asymmetric ones were found) and gives some additional insight in the equilibrium properties of the model. Finally, it should be mentioned that in the article ''A symmetric two-locus fertility model.'' Genetics 109, 229-253 (1985), the authors investigated a two-locus fertility model, whose equilibrium properties are even more complex.