Fisher Waves: an individual based stochastic model

Abstract: The propagation of a beneficial mutation in a spatially extended population is usually studied using the phenomenological stochastic Fisher-Kolmogorov (SFKPP) equation. We derive here an individual based, stochastic model founded on the spatial Moran process where fluctuations are treated exactly. At high selection pressure, the results of this model are different from the classical FKPP. At small selection pressure, the front behavior can be mapped into a Brownian motion with drift, the properties of which can be derived from microscopic parameters of the Moran model. Finally, we show that the diffusion coefficient and the noise amplitude of SFKPP are not independent parameters but are both determined by the dispersal kernel of individuals.