Technical comment on "Negative-assortative mating for color in wolves".

This article critically examines the population genetic model of negative-assortative mating for coat color in Yellowstone wolves originally presented by Hedrick et al. (2016), identifying a logical inconsistency in how the proportion of assortative matings was derived. The author demonstrates that the original model’s assumptions imply a different frequency of negative-assortative matings than reported, effectively imposing unacknowledged selection on genotypes. A revised, logically consistent model is derived, yielding similar equilibrium genotype and allele frequencies but predicting faster allele frequency changes toward equilibrium. This correction supports the original conclusion that negative-assortative mating can maintain color polymorphism in wolves and provides a more robust framework for studying nonrandom mating in other species.