Inference of Population Structure Using Multilocus Genotype Data
Ofir Davidovich, TAU
Ofir will present the paper "Inference of Population Structure Using
Multilocus Genotype Data" by Jonathan K. Pritchard, Matthew Stephens
and Peter Donnelly (Genetics 2000)
Abstract:
We describe a model-based clustering method for using multilocus
genotype data to infer population structure and assign individuals to
populations. We assume a model in which there are K populations
(where K may be unknown), each of which is characterized by a set of
allele frequencies at each locus. Individuals in the sample are
assigned (probabilistically) to populations, or jointly to two or
more populations if their genotypes indicate that they are admixed.
Our model does not assume a particular mutation process, and it can
be applied to most of the commonly used genetic markers, provided
that they are not closely linked. Applications of our method include
demonstrating the presence of population structure, assigning
individuals to populations, studying hybrid zones, and identifying
migrants and admixed individuals. We show that the method can produce
highly accurate assignments using modest numbers of loci, e.g., seven
microsatellite loci in an example using genotype data from an
endangered bird species. The software used for this article is
available from http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~pritch/home.html.