Genetic Drift Simulator

Simulate random genetic drift in finite populations to understand how allele frequencies change by chance over generations.

Drift Simulation Results

0
Fixation (p=1)
0
Loss (p=0)
5
Polymorphic
0.4830
Mean Final Freq
0.5000
Initial Heterozygosity
0.3892
Expected Final Het
0.0554
Theoretical Variance
0.0797
Observed Variance

Trajectory Summary (Final Frequencies)

Sim 1: 0.895
Sim 2: 0.275
Sim 3: 0.350
Sim 4: 0.160
Sim 5: 0.735

About Genetic Drift

Genetic drift is random change in allele frequencies due to sampling effects in finite populations. The rate of drift is inversely proportional to population size (N). Expected heterozygosity decays as H(t) = H(0) × (1 - 1/2N)^t. Smaller populations experience faster drift and more rapid loss of genetic variation.

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Editorial Note

MyCalcBuddy Editorial Team

This page is maintained as an educational calculator reference.

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Formula Source: Standard Mathematical References

by Various

🔄Last reviewed: May 2026
✓Formula checks are based on standard references and internal QA review.