Genetic Drift over Time in smaller versus
larger populations
From an initial
q = 0.50 in each of 20 populations with either
2N = 18 or 100
starting individuals,
q = f(A) diverges at random over time from the
starting value, and the divergence in more rapid among smaller
populations than larger. Where 2N = 18, several
populations reached either loss (q = 0.0) (n = 5)
or fixation (q = 1.0) (n = 7) of the allele in less
than 20 generations, whereas in the right-hand graph, all
populations maintain both alleles after the same time.