msBayes: A Tool for Analyzing Population Divergence
Author Information
Author(s): Michael J Hickerson, Eli Stahl, Naoki Takebayashi
Primary Institution: Queens College, CUNY
Hypothesis
Can msBayes effectively test for simultaneous divergence across multiple population pairs using a hierarchical model?
Conclusion
msBayes can distinguish simultaneous isolation from temporal incongruence in population divergence, even with sparse sampling.
Supporting Evidence
- msBayes can analyze multiple population pairs simultaneously.
- The method can reasonably distinguish biogeographic congruence from temporal incongruence.
- The software is designed to handle sparse sampling of individuals effectively.
Takeaway
msBayes is a computer program that helps scientists understand how different populations of animals or plants have evolved over time, even if they only have a few samples to study.
Methodology
msBayes uses approximate Bayesian computation under a hierarchical coalescent model to analyze data from multiple species/population pairs.
Potential Biases
Migration could hinder the ability to correctly infer simultaneous divergence.
Limitations
Current implementation is limited to a single locus per species-pair, and future versions will allow analysis of multi-loci data.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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