Evolution of a peak of genetic divergence driven by local adaptation

In species that are distributed in various environments, each subpopulation adapts to the local environment. In general, when there is migration between subpopulations, genetic divergence does not proceed because the genomes are exchanged between subpopulations. However, around the loci involved in local adaptation, genetic divergence proceeds. This is because different genotypes are favored between subpopulations, so that the alleles of migrants are purged by natural selection and the exchange of genomes is suppressed. It has not been theoretically known how the degree of genetic differentiation evolves over time, making the interpretation of population genomic data difficult. In this study, we constructed and analyzed a model of population genetics to clarify the dynamics of genetic divergence.