The Revitalization of Population Genetics: From Coalescence Theory to Phylogeography

BARRANDEGUY, M.E.; SANABRIA, D.J.; GARCÍA, M.V.

Population Genetics

SM Group

Año: 2017; p. 1 - 10

Complex demographic histories characterize natural populations: their sizes and ranges change over time creating processes that leave signatures on their genetic composition. Coalescence theory formalized a powerful way of using only the sample of alleles such that gene genealogies are modeled backwards in time under virtually any complex demographic history. The main aim of this chapter is to show the advances in how to use genetic data from related populations or species to know about their recent evolutionary history. Rational, quantitative assessment of population genetics models and estimates together with evolutionary scenarios should enable to unravel the complex and subtle relationships between emographic history, natural selection, and genomic diversity. Recent statistical methods in phylogeography have revitalized the population genetics allowing to researchers infer the past evolutionary history of populations and estimate demographic and genetic parameters.