Seminar Announcement
| A New Model for Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Genetic Variation, with Emphasis on Population Substructure |
Geof H. Givens, Ph.D, Department of Statistics, Colorado State University
Monday, September 8, 2008
4:00 p.m. 223 Weber
| ABSTRACT |
We describe a general model for pairwise microsatellite allele
matching probabilities. The model can be used for analysis of
population substructure, and is particularly focused on relating
genetic correlation to measurable covariates. The approach is
intended for cases where the existence and number of subpopulations is
uncertain and a priori assignment of samples to hypothesized
subpopulations is difficult. Such a situation arises, for example,
with western Arctic bowhead whales, where genetic samples are
available only from a possibly mixed migratory assemblage. We
estimate genetic structure associated with spatial, temporal, or other
variables that may confound the detection of population structure. In
the bowhead case, the model permits detection of genetic patterns
associated with a temporally pulsed multi-population assemblage in the
annual migration. Hypothesis tests for population substructure and
for covariate effects can be carried out using permutation methods.
Simulated and real examples illustrate the effectiveness and
reliability of the approach and enable comparisons with other familiar
approaches. Results from the bowhead data and another example yield
important findings for biologists and resource managers.