[1] The name emphasizes the fact that the genetic background, or genomic environment, of a mutation has a significant impact on whether it will be preserved versus lost from a population.
For linked sites, diversity is reduced by exp(-u/r), where u/r is the ratio of deleterious mutation to recombination within a genomic window surrounding the neutral allele of interest.
In areas of high recombination, new mutations are more likely to ‘escape' the effects of nearby selection and be retained in the population.
[7] Failing to account for background selection can lead to errors in the inference of the demographic history of populations.
[8][9][10] Background selection in asexual populations produces Muller's ratchet, the accumulation of irreversible deleterious mutations.