The allele-frequency spectrum in a decoupled Moran model with mutation, drift, and directional selection, assuming small mutation rates

We analyze a decoupled Moran model with haploid population size [Formula: see text] , a biallelic locus under mutation and drift with scaled forward and backward mutation rates [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] , and directional selection with scaled strength [Formula: see text]. With small scaled mutation rates [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] , which is appropriate for single nucleotide polymorphism data in highly recombining regions, we derive a simple approximate equilibrium distribution for polymorphic alleles with a constant of proportionality. We also put forth an even simpler model, where all mutations originate from monomorphic states. Using this model we derive the sojourn times, conditional on the ancestral and fixed allele, and under equilibrium the distributions of fixed and polymorphic alleles and fixation rates. Furthermore, we also derive the distribution of small samples in the diffusion limit and provide convenient recurrence relations for calculating this distribution. This enables us to give formulas analogous to the Ewens–Watterson estimator of [Formula: see text] for biased mutation rates and selection. We apply this theory to a polymorphism dataset of fourfold degenerate sites in Drosophila melanogaster.