Journal
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY
Volume 29, Issue 22, Pages 4274-4279Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/mec.15501
Keywords
adaptation; molecular evolution; population genetics-empirical; population genetics-theoretical
Funding
- Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Genome Canada [241REF]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Genome scans can potentially identify genetic loci involved in evolutionary processes such as local adaptation and gene flow. Here, we show that recombination rate variation across a neutrally evolving genome gives rise to mixed sampling distributions of meanF(ST)(FST<^>), a common population genetic summary statistic. In particular, we show that in regions of low recombination the distribution ofFST<^>estimates has more variance and a longer tail than in more highly recombining regions. Determining outliers from the genome-wide distribution without taking local recombination rate into consideration may therefore increase the frequency of false positives in low recombination regions and be overly conservative in more highly recombining ones. We perform genome scans on simulated and empiricalDrosophila melanogasterdata sets and, in both cases, find patterns consistent with this neutral model. Similar patterns are observed for other summary statistics used to capture variation in the coalescent process. Linked selection, particularly background selection, is often invoked to explain heterogeneity inFST<^>across the genome, but here we point out that even under neutrality, statistical artefacts can arise due to variation in recombination rate. Our results highlight a flaw in the design of genome-scan studies and suggest that without estimates of local recombination rate, interpreting the genomic landscape of any summary statistic that captures variation in the coalescent process will be very difficult.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available