Phenotypic effect of large & small mutations
Fitness
phenotypes for a particular genetic trait have a mean value
b, noting that a majority of variants have a sub-mean
fitness, including one with fitness a. Mutations
with small phenotypic effect may increase or decrease
fitness, however, even a mutation with positive effect does
not produce fitness greater than the mean. Mutations with
large phenotypic effect may be effectively lethal
(displacement to left-hand tail) or of beneficial effect,
substantially greater than the mean (right-hand tail).