Department of Statistics Seminar
North Carolina State University

presents

Dr. Bruce Weir

North Carolina State University

"Statistical means for characterizing the genetic structure of populations"

ABSTRACT

A moment estimator of the coancestry coefficient for alleles within a population was described by Weir and Cockerham in a 1984 paper that is still widely cited. The estimate is used by population geneticists to characterize population structure, by plant and animal breeders to describe genetic variation, by ecologists to estimate migration rates, by human geneticists to modify tests for linkage, and by forensic scientists to quantify the strength of DNA evidence. The original work of Weir and Cockerham has now been extended to allow for different coancestries in different populations, and to allow for dependencies among populations. Simple moment estimates can be replaced by maximum likelihood estimates if allele frequencies are assumed to follow a specified distribution over populations, and both the multivariate normal and Dirichlet distributions have been considered.

Specifying an allelic frequency distribution may be equivalent to specifying an evolutionary model and so constrain the inferences that can be drawn from estimates of coancestry. Statistical genetic procedures must consider both statistical and genetic theories. The work will be illustrated with some human population genetic data.

Friday, September, 13, 2002

3:35 - 4:35 pm

206 Cox Hall

Refreshments will be served on the second floor of Dabney Hall (left of Room 222) at 3:00 pm.