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Voter Model and Biased Voter Model in Heterogeneous Environments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 July 2016

N. Lanchier
Affiliation:
Université de Rouen
C. Neuhauser*
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
*
∗∗Postal address: Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St Paul, MN 55108, USA.
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Abstract

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With the rapid adoption of transgenic crops, gene flow from transgenic crops to wild relatives through pollen dispersal is of significant concern and warrants both empirical and theoretical studies to assess the risk of introduction of transgenes into wild populations. We propose to use the (biased) voter model in a heterogeneous environment to investigate the effects of recurrent gene flow from transgenic crop to wild relatives. The model is defined on the d-dimensional integer lattice that is divided into two parts, Δ and Zd \ Δ. Individuals carrying the transgene and individuals carrying the wild type gene compete according to the evolution rules of a (biased) voter model on Zd \ Δ, while the process is conditioned to have only individuals carrying the transgene on Δ. Our main findings suggest that unless transgenes confer increased fitness in wild relatives, introgression of transgenes into populations of wild plants is slow and may even be reversible without intervention. Our study also addresses the effects of different spatial planting patterns of transgenic crops on the rate of introgression.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Applied Probability Trust 2007 

Footnotes

Current address: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA. Email address: lanchier@math.asu.edu

Partially supported by NSF Grants DMS-00-72262 and DMS-00-83468

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