The trouble with isolation by distance

Molecular Ecology
Patrick G Meirmans

Abstract

The genetic population structure of many species is characterised by a pattern of isolation by distance (IBD): due to limited dispersal, individuals that are geographically close tend to be genetically more similar than individuals that are far apart. Despite the ubiquity of IBD in nature, many commonly used statistical tests are based on a null model that is completely non-spatial, the Island model. Here, I argue that patterns of spatial autocorrelation deriving from IBD present a problem for such tests as it can severely bias their outcome. I use simulated data to illustrate this problem for two widely used types of tests: tests of hierarchical population structure and the detection of loci under selection. My results show that for both types of tests the presence of IBD can indeed lead to a large number of false positives. I therefore argue that all analyses in a study should take the spatial dependence in the data into account, unless it can be shown that there is no spatial autocorrelation in the allele frequency distribution that is under investigation. Thus, it is urgent to develop additional statistical approaches that are based on a spatially explicit null model instead of the non-spatial Island model.

Associated Datasets

May 23, 2012·Patrick G. Meirmans

References

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Citations

Mar 20, 2013·Theoretical Population Biology·N H BartonA Véber
Apr 2, 2013·Molecular Biology and Evolution·Eric FrichotOlivier François
Jun 7, 2013·BMC Evolutionary Biology·Javier IgeaJose Castresana
Dec 13, 2012·Malaria Journal·Stella M ChenetAnanias A Escalante
Sep 28, 2014·Molecular Biology and Evolution·Simon DellicourPatrick Mardulyn
Jan 23, 2016·Molecular Biology and Evolution·Martin KapunThomas Flatt
Sep 17, 2014·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Ola T WestengenAnne K Brysting
Jan 27, 2016·Ecology and Evolution·Jeffrey D LozierJames P Strange
Oct 10, 2013·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Gideon S BradburdGraham M Coop
Aug 27, 2014·Ecological Applications : a Publication of the Ecological Society of America·Samuel A CushmanGerard J Allan
Nov 19, 2015·Molecular Ecology·Brenna R ForesterJesse R Lasky
Dec 4, 2015·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Małgorzata PilotWiesław Bogdanowicz
Dec 2, 2015·American Journal of Physical Anthropology·Keith L HunleyJeffrey C Long
Nov 28, 2015·Scientific Reports·Laetitia G E WilkinsClaus Wedekind
Jul 21, 2015·Molecular Ecology·Peter D FieldsDieter Ebert
May 15, 2013·Molecular Ecology·Nicolas BierneJohn J Welch
Aug 29, 2012·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Sarah Whitmee, C David L Orme
Jul 19, 2013·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·J Defaveri, J Merilä
Dec 30, 2014·Ecology and Evolution·Alexander I Putman, Ignazio Carbone
May 29, 2014·Molecular Ecology·Kimberly A SelkoeUNKNOWN ToBo Laboratory

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