Effective population size and the rate and pattern of nucleotide substitutions

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Abstract
Both the overall rate of nucleotide substitution and the relative proportions of synonymous and non-synonymous substitutions are predicted to vary between species that differ in effective population size ( N e ). Our understanding of the genetic processes underlying these lineage-specific differences in molecular evolution is still developing. Empirical analyses indicate that variation in substitution rates and patterns caused by differences in N e is often substantial, however, and must be accounted for in analyses of molecular evolution.