Panmixis

Panmixia (or panmixis) means uniform random fertilization, which means individuals do not select a mate based on physical traits. A panmictic population is one where all potential parents may contribute equally to the gamete pool, and that these gametes are uniformly distributed within the gamete population (gamodeme). This assumes that there are no hybridising restrictions within the parental population: neither genetics, cytogenetics nor behavioural; and neither spatial nor temporal (see also Quantitative genetics for further discussion). True panmixia is rarely, if ever, observed in natural populations. It is a theoretical model used as a null hypothesis in population genetics. It serves as a point of comparison to understand how deviations from random mating affect allele and genotype frequencies. Therefore, all gamete recombination (fertilization) is uniformly possible. Both the Wahlund effect and the Hardy Weinberg equilibrium assume that the overall population is panmictic.