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Ewens' sampling formula and related formulae: combinatorial proofs, extensions to variable population size and applications to ages of alleles.

Robert C Griffiths·Sabin Lessard
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Abstract

Ewens' sampling formula, the probability distribution of a configuration of alleles in a sample of genes under the infinitely-many-alleles model of mutation, is proved by a direct combinatorial argument. The distribution is extended to a model where the population size may vary back in time. The distribution of age-ordered frequencies in the population is also derived in the model, extending the GEM distribution of age-ordered frequencies in a model with a constant-sized population. The genealogy of a rare allele is studied using a combinatorial approach. A connection is explored between the distribution of age-ordered frequencies and ladder indices and heights in a sequence of random variables. In a sample of n genes the connection is with ladder heights and indices in a sequence of draws from an urn containing balls labelled 1,2,...,n; and in the population the connection is with ladder heights and indices in a sequence of independent uniform random variables.

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AllelesModels, GeneticMutationPopulation DensityTime FactorsJournal Article

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Robert C Griffiths, Sabin Lessard. 2005. Ewens' sampling formula and related formulae: combinatorial proofs, extensions to variable population size and applications to ages of alleles.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tpb.2005.02.004

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