ANALYSIS OF SOME TWO-LOCUS SYSTEMS FOR TRAITS EXHIBITING CONTINUOUS VARIATION

Dorit Carmelli ¹

¹ Department of Medical Biophysics and Computing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112

Some generalized two-locus, major-gene models for traits exhibiting continuous expression are investigated. Conditions of gametic equilibria are stated as functions of the parameters characterizing the within phenotypic-genotypic distributions. Selection is stabilizing in favor of an optimum phenotype. It is established that an increase in the phenotypic variance facilitates stability of a central polymorphic state with tighter linkage. Also, with increased phenotypic variance in an additive two-locus selection model, a Hardy-Weinberg type of equilibrium will be less central. The rate of convergence, in this case, is slowed down with an augmented environmental background.