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Conservation of Forest Biodiversity: how sample size affects the estimation of genetic parameters
Leonardo S da Costa1, Nathana S Corneleo2, Valdir M Stefenon2
1Centro de Ciências Rurais, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brasil.
Abstract:
Efficient designs are crucial for population genetic studies on forest species. In this study we employed individual based simulations aiming to evaluate what fraction of a population should be sampled to obtain confident estimations of allelic richness and of inbreeding coefficient in population genetic surveys. The simulations suggest that at least 10% of the total population has to be sampled to ensure reliable estimations of allelic richness and inbreeding coefficient. This approach will allow the confidence of the genetic parameters estimations of a larger number of populations, based on a minimal sample within each one.
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