The coalescent and its descendants

摘要: The coalescent revolutionised theoretical population genetics, simplifying, or making possible for the first time, many analyses, proofs, and derivations, offering crucial insights about way in which structure of data samples from populations depends on demographic history population. However statistical inference under model is extremely challenging, effectively because no explicit expressions are available key sampling probabilities. This led initially to approximation these probabilities by ingenious application modern computationally-intensive methods. A breakthrough occurred when Li Stephens introduced a different model, similar spirit coalescent, efficient calculations feasible. In turn, has changed wealth now documents molecular genetic variation within populations. We briefly review associated measure-valued diffusions, describe introduce apply generalisation it presence linkage disequilibrium.