Nautural selection for within-generation variance in offspring number

Abstract

In this paper it is shown that natural selection can act on the within-generation variance in offspring number. The fitness of a genotype will increase as its variance in offspring number decreases. The intensity of selection on the variance component is inversely proportional to population size, although the fixation probability of a gene which differs from its allele only in the variance in its offspring number is independent of population size. The concept of effective population size is shown to be of limited use when there is genetic variation in the variance in offspring number.