Wright-Fisher Model
The mathematical foundation of genetic drift comes from the Wright-Fisher model, developed independently by Sewall Wright and Ronald Fisher in the 1930s.
The mathematical foundation of genetic drift comes from the Wright-Fisher model, developed independently by Sewall Wright and Ronald Fisher in the 1930s. The model makes several simplifying assumptions: a finite population of constant size, non-overlapping generations, random mating, and no selection, mutation, or migration.
In a diploid population of size N containing two alleles at a locus, if the frequency of allele A is p, the next generation is formed by randomly sampling 2N alleles from the current gene pool. The expected frequency remains p, but actual frequency fluctuates with variance p(1-p)/(2N).
Business Application of Wright-Fisher Model
Provides the mathematical basis for understanding how random sampling in finite populations causes unpredictable fluctuations in traits, applicable to organizational decision-making and market dynamics.
Discovery
Sewall Wright and Ronald Fisher (1931)
Established the mathematical theory of genetic drift and random sampling in finite populations