accurate distributions of allele frequency distributions are easily
determined as numerical integrals of analytic functions.
The existence of a rapid changeover regime between these
extremes enables us to make inferences about the era of mitochondrial
Eve, which we conclude is highly likely to have occurred during
a time when κ = (2m/σ 2) log λ ≈ 1. The calculation presented
herein assumes constant values for λ and σ2 over extended time
periods and as such is illustrative rather than definitive, since population
bottlenecks are likely to have occurred during the period
being considered, particularly during ‘‘out-of-Africa’’ events dated
to between 125,000 and 60,000 years ago.