Award details

Development of population genetic models and statistical methods for inferring parameters

Reference	BBS/E/C/00004401
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Christopher Rawlings
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Dr Kevin Dawson
Institution	Rothamsted Research
Department	Rothamsted Research Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	456,934
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2001
End date	31/03/2008
Duration	84 months

Abstract

Genetic diversity provides us with "markers" which can be used to illuminate population processes such as migration, population growth and decline, extinction and recolonisation. We are also interested in the contribution of different genotypes to population growth and decline, and hence adaptation. Objectives and methods: One aspect of this project is to use state-of-the-art statistical-computational technology to make inferences about population structure and history from genotypic survey data, - where individuals are typed at polymorphic marker loci (AFLPs, microsatellites, SNPs, DNA sequences). Even the simplest population genetic models have a large number of parameters. (The number of parameters increases with the number of loci which are incorporated.) Bayesian inference procedures offer a way of extracting inferences about individual parameters of interest, even for models with very large numbers of parameters. It is essential to be able to quantify our uncertainty about these parameters. Sometimes, the parameter of interest is complex: for example, the assignment of individuals to source populations. Here too, our uncertainty can be usefully quantified using the Bayesian framework. The other aspect of this project is to analyse population genetic models of evolutionary processes, including: the response to selection on quantitative traits; the accumulation of deleterious mutations; and the evolution of the mutation rate. These models incorporate selection acting on many loci. Analytic results can indicate what types of data would provide most information about a parameter of interest.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Genes & Developmental Biology (GDB)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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