Genealogies and inference for populations with highly skewed offspring distributions

Abstract

We review recent progress in the understanding of the role of multiple- and simultaneous multiple merger coalescents as models for the genealogy in idealised and real populations with exceptional reproductive behaviour. In particular, we discuss models with `skewed offspring distribution' (or under other non-classical evolutionary forces) which lead in the single locus haploid case to multiple merger coalescents, and in the multi-locus diploid case to simultaneous multiple merger coalescents. Further, we discuss inference methods under the infinitely-many sites model which allow both model selection and estimation of model parameters under these coalescents.

This text will appear as a chapter in the proceedings volume of DFG SPP Priority Programme 1590 Probabilistic Structures in Evolution

References in corpus (3)

• Genealogies of rapidly adapting populations
• A modified lookdown construction for the Xi-Fleming-Viot process with mutation and populations with recurrent bottlenecks
• Robust model selection between population growth and multiple merger coalescents