Gordo, I.Navarro, A.Charlesworth, B.2010-03-312010-03-312002-06Gordo, I., A. Navarro and B. Charlesworth (2002) Muller's ratchet and the pattern of variation at a neutral locus. Genetics 161: 835-8480016-6731http://hdl.handle.net/10400.7/96For access the publication please visit the following link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1462134/The levels and patterns of variation at a neutral locus are analyzed in a haploid asexual population Undergoing accumulation of deleterious mutations due to Muller's ratchet. We find that the movement Of Muller's ratchet can be associated with a considerable reduction in genetic diversity below classical neutral expectation. The extent to which variability is reduced is a function Of the deleterious initiation rate, the fitness effects of the Imitations, and the population size. Approximate analytical expressions for the expected genetic diversity are compared with simulation results under two different models of deleterious imitations: a model where all deleterious imitations have equal effects and a model where there are two classes of deleterious imitations. We also find that Muller's ratchet can produce a considerable distortion in the neutral frequency spectrum toward an excess of rare variants.engBACKGROUND SELECTIONASEXUAL POPULATIONSSTATISTICAL TESTSY-CHROMOSOMESDELETERIOUS MUTATIONSDOSAGE COMPENSATIONMOLECULAR EVOLUTIONDNA POLYMORPHISMDEGENERATIONACCUMULATIONjournal article