An important purpose of mathematical models in evolutionary research, as in many other fields, is to act as “proof-of-concept” tests of the logic in verbal explanations, paralleling the way in which empirical data are used to test hypotheses.

This chapter begins with an explanation of how mathematical theory can be used to model reproducing populations. Next, we discuss how deterministic processes (i.e., those with no random element) can be modeled by following genotype frequencies.

spoke with Feldman at Stanford about how mathematical models can illuminate evolution, his contributions to the extended evolutionary synthesis, and his role in redressing China’s sex-ratio...

Mathematical modelling is widely recognized as a powerful and convenient theoretical tool for investigating various aspects of biological evolution and explaining the existing genetic complexity of the real world.

Evolution is a highly complex multilevel pro-cess and mathematical modeling of evolutionary phenom-enon requires proper abstraction and radical reduction to essential features. Examples are natural selection, Men-del’s laws of inheritance, optimization by mutation and selection, and neutral evolution.