A note on the island model with sex dependent migration

Summary A theoretical calculation is presented which extends Wright's island model of drift and migration to differential migration between the two sexes. In this circumstance, local demes no longer have Hardy-Weinberg frequencies. There may be local heterozygote excess or deficiency depending, respectively, on whether migration occurs before or after mating. The magnitude of the local departure from Hardy-Weinberg is directly proportional to the difference between the migration parameters of the two sexes. These results could have important implications for studies where genetic markers are used for inferring population structure. An example from a study of Marmot colonies is cited.