A Note on the Reduction of the Dynamics of Multilocus Diploid Genetic Systems with Multiplicative Fitness

The dynamics of any diploid multilocus genetic system with two alleles and uniform dynamics per locus can be deduced from that of the corresponding single-locus system by trinomial sampling to produce the frequencies of the different mutant classes, provided that fitness is multiplicative, and there is linkage equilibrium (allowing for physical linkage, however). The component processes that can be considered are mutation, gene conversion, gamete production (with recombination) and random mating, and selection. If mutations occur according to Bernoulli trials, outcrossing sexual systems have a genetic load exactly deducible from that of the single-locus system.