Dominance modification in a fluctuating environment

Abstract

This paper examines the suggestion of Gale & Mackay (1979) that dominance modification will be slower in an environment with fluctuating selection coefficients than in a constant environment. The case of statistical independence between successive environments is studied. It is shown that there is an effect in the suggested direction, but that it is quantitatively slight with biologically plausible values for the parameters involved. It therefore seems unlikely that the phenomena noted by Charlesworth (1979) can be explained in these terms. © 1979, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.