4. Population Genetics

Coalescent Theory — Quiz

Test your understanding of coalescent theory with 5 practice questions.

Practice Questions

Question 1

In a coalescent model, if a population experiences a constant effective population size of $N_e$, what is the probability that two lineages fail to coalesce in a given generation?

Question 2

Under the infinite sites model, if a population has an effective population size of $N_e$ and a mutation rate of $\mu$, what is the expected heterozygosity ($H$) for a neutral locus?

Question 3

Which of the following scenarios would most likely result in a coalescent tree with very short internal branches and a 'star-like' topology?

Question 4

In coalescent theory, how does the concept of 'gene flow' (migration) between subpopulations affect the overall time to the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) for lineages sampled across different subpopulations?

Question 5

Consider a sample of $k$ gene lineages in a haploid population with a constant effective population size $N_e$. What is the expected time until the next coalescence event, given that there are currently $k$ lineages?