Genetic estimates of population age in the water flea, Daphnia magna.

ABSTRACT: Genetic datasets can be used to date evolutionary events, even on recent time scales if sufficient data are available. We used statistics calculated from multilocus microsatellite datasets to estimate population ages in data generated through coalescent simulations and in samples from populations of known age in a metapopulation of Daphnia magna in Finland. Our simulation results show that age estimates improve with additional loci and define a time frame over which these statistics are most useful. On the most recent time scales, assumptions regarding the model of mutation (infinite sites vs. stepwise mutation) have little influence on estimated ages. In older populations, size homoplasy among microsatellite alleles results in a downwards bias for estimates based on the infinite sites mod

SUBMITTER: Robinson JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3695665 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature