Coalescence with Rough Boundaries


red ball Sector boundaries and genetic lineages are fluctuating paths (in 2 dimensions):

yellow ball Extinction occurs when (going forward in time) boundaries of a sector coalesce

yellow ball Last common ancestor can be traced when (going backward in time) lineages coalesce

red ball For diffusive paths the coalescence rate is obtained by method of images as

yellow ball The corresponding result for the super-diffusive paths is not known.

yellow ball Numerical simulations of both stepping stone and DPRM models support the forms:

red ball Consequences of super-diffusive meandering

yellow ball Genetic diversity disappears more rapidly

yellow ball Common ancestors are more recent and fewer

yellow ball"Evolution in range expansions with competition at rough boundaries,"

S. Chu, M.Kardar, D.R. Nelson, & D.A. Beller, Journal of Theoretical Biology 478, 153 (2019). (off-line)