Reduced genetic variation at marker loci in small populations has been well documented, whereas the relationship between quantitative genetic variation and population size has attracted little empirical investigation. Here we demonstrate that both neutral and quantitative genetic variation are reduced in small populations of a fragmented plant metapopulation, and that both drift and selective c...

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A model is developed of genetic drift in a cline maintained by spatially varying natural selection and local dispersal of individuals. The model is analyzed by an approximation scheme which is valid for weak selection and small migration rates. The results, which are based on numerical iterations of the approximate equations, are that the cline is less steep than predicted on the basis of the d...