The influence of migration on the stochastic dynamics of subdivided populations is still an open issue in various evolutionary models. Here, we develop a self-consistent mean-field-like method in order to determine the effects of migration on relevant nonequilibrium properties, such as the mean fixation time. If evolution strongly favors coexistence of species (e.g., balancing selection), the mean fixation time develops an unexpected minimum as a function of the migration rate. Our analysis hinges only on the presence of a separation of time scales between local and global dynamics, and therefore, it carries over to other nonequilibrium processes in physics, biology, ecology, and social sciences.

• Received 18 October 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.148101