SUMMARY In finite populations, loci maintained segregating by hétérozygote superiority will be disturbed from their equilibrium positions by genetic sampling and the mean fitness of individuals will consequently be reduced. A general expression for this reduction is obtained for the segregation of two alleles. If the probability of continued segregation at the locus is high, the reduction tends to 1/4 N , irrespective of the strength of selection, where N is the effective population size. This will always be much less than the segregation load. If n alleles are segregating, so that all heterozygotes have the same fitness, the reduction tends to ( n −1)/4 N .
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Alan Robertson (1970) studied this question.
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