Random partitions in population genetics

Abstract

This paper is concerned with models for the genetic variation of a sample of gametes from a large population. The need for consistency between different sample sizes limits the mathematical possibilities to what are here called ‘partition structures Distinctive among them is the structure described by the Ewens sampling formula, which is shown to enjoy a characteristic property of non-interference between the different alleles. This characterization explains the robustness of the Ewens formula when neither selection nor recurrent mutation is significant, although different structures arise from selective and ‘charge-state’ models