From genes to numbers: Effective population sizes in human evolution

Abstract

The effective population size has become a central aspect of our understanding of the ancient structure of human populations. It is through this concept that the genetic variation of present-day humans may inform us about the number and relationships of humans in the past. However, effective population size itself is not a demographic parameter. If the theoretical model does not apply accurately to human evolution, then inferences based on the estimates of effective population size may be in error. Here, I present the theoretical basis of effective population size, including many of the demographic and evolutionary conditions that can confound the relationship of genetic variation and population size. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.