gesp: A computer program for modelling genetic effective population size, inbreeding and divergence in substructured...

Area of Science:

• Population Genetics
• Conservation Genetics
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Genetically effective population size (Ne) is crucial for conservation, but analysis in complex, subdivided populations was limited.
• Existing methods lacked the mathematical framework for analyzing Ne in structured populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce gesp, a novel R-based software tool for analyzing genetic effective population size, inbreeding, and divergence in subdivided populations.
• To provide a computational solution for previously unavailable analytical theories concerning Ne in structured populations.

Main Methods:

• Development of an R-based software tool (gesp) implementing new analytical theory.
• Algorithms for exact computation of global/local inbreeding, eigenvalue Ne, Gst, Fis, and Fit.
• Modeling capabilities include subpopulation size, migration, relatedness, ploidy, and selfing.

Main Results:

• gesp enables exact computation of key population genetic parameters in structured populations.
• The software models short- and long-term genetic differentiation and effective population size.
• Demonstrated utility of gesp in conservation genetics modeling scenarios.

Conclusions:

• gesp provides a powerful, freely available tool for advancing population genetic research and conservation.
• The software facilitates accurate assessment of genetic viability and management strategies in complex populations.