Table 1.

Notation, definitions and demographic equations used in the model.

notation	name of parameter, variable or equation	definition
K	neutral substitution rate	rate at which mutations with no effect on fitness are fixed in the genome per time unit
U	mutation probability per generation	the probability that, at a focal site, an offspring has a mutation that its parents do not have
r	population intrinsic growth rate (Malthusian parameter)	the exponential per capita rate of population increase
f(x)	fecundity	rate of reproduction in female offspring per mother (age x) per year
b	age at first reproduction	age at which individuals reproduce for the first time
c	length of reproductive time window	time in years during which an individual is reproductively active, if it does not die for stochastic reasons earlier
d (=b + c)	age at last reproduction	age in years at which an individual is potentially able to reproduce for the last time, if it has not died for stochastic reasons earlier (close to maximum lifespan in species without menopause)
σ	offspring survival probability	proportion of new-born offspring surviving to reproductive age
μ	adult mortality rate	instantaneous mortality rate of reproductive individuals
l(x)	survival probability	probability of survival from birth to age x, taking into account both juvenile and adult survival
σf	recruitment	rate of offspring surviving to maturity per mother per year (i.e. juvenile survival multiplied by fecundity)
T	generation time	mean age of parents, averaged over new-born individuals in a population:
	Euler–Lotka equation