A Comparison of Alternative Strategies for Estimating Gene Flow from Genetic Markers

Abstract

The estimation of gene flow from the distribution of genetic markers in populations requires an indirect approach. Gene flow parameters are defined by demographic models, and population genetic models provide the link between these parameters and the distributions of genetic markers. Following the introduction of allozyme methods in the 1960s, a standard approach to the estimation of gene flow was developed. Wright's island model of population structure was used to relate the distribution of allozyme alleles in populations to Nem, the product of the effective population size and the rate of migration. Alternative strategies for the estimation of gene flow have been developed using different genetic markers, different models of demography and population genetics, and different methods of parameter estimation. No alternative strategy now available is clearly superior to the standard approach based on Wright's model and allozyme markers. However, this may soon change as methods are developed that fully utilize the genealogical relationships of DNA sequences. At present, alternative strategies do fill important needs. They can provide independent estimates of gene flow, measure different components of gene flow, and detect historical changes in population structure.