Welcome to the Genetics Simulator!

This application is an educational tool made to introduce basic concepts of biological evolution through computer simulation. Here, populations of a sexually-reprducing diploid organism are simulated under various evolutionary conditions, tracking the frequency of two alleles (A₁ and A₂) over several generations. A short explanation of features is given below.

Evolutionary Mechanisms

• Drift: Random events in nature can cause genotypes to become more or less frequent, independent of trait fitness. Here, drift is simulated through finite population sizes ("Pop Size"). By checking "Infinite Pop Size", drift can be eliminated from the simulation.
• Natural Selection: Some heritable traits provide different fitness. Thus, fitter traits proliferate in populations. Here, selection is simulated by checking "Fitness", where values between 0-1 can specify the relative fitness of the three genotypes.
• Mutation: Genetic changes can introduce new traits or change traits. Here, this is simulated by checking "Mutation" and specifying the probability that one allele converts to another.
• Migration: New individuals coming into or leaving a population can change the frequency of genotypes. Here, this is simulated by checking "Migration" and specifying the probability that an individual from population N travels to population N+1 in a generation.
• Non-Random Mating: Some deviations from random mating can bring about changes in genotype or allele frequencies. Here, this is simulated by checking "Inbreeding" and identifying the probability that an individual mates with someone of its own genotype.

Setup and Usage

• If desired, change the number of populations and the number of generations that will be used in the simulation. Click "Variable Freq" to make each population begin with its own frequency of A₁. Change evolutionary conditions with the checkboxes and their entry fields.
• Click "Run" to begin the simulation (or "Save As CSV" to save the simulation results).
• After running, specify the vertical axis of the graph by clicking on an option in the box below the graph.