Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1111/mec.70375 |
Licence  |
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| Title (Primary) | Genetic estimates of relatedness: established practices and new opportunities through low coverage whole-genome sequencing |
| Author | Freudiger, A.; Kestel, N.; Jovanovic, V.M.; de Brito, M.M.
; Ruiz-Lambides, A.V.; Nowick, K.; Widdig, A.; Ringbauer, H. |
| Source Titel | Molecular Ecology |
| Year | 2026 |
| Department | SUSOZ |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 11 |
| Page From | e70375 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Data and Software links | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20139046 |
| Supplements | Supplement 1 Supplement 2 Supplement 3 Supplement 4 |
| Keywords | ancient DNA methods; kinship inference; microsatellites; paternity assignment; sequencing depth; wildlife genomics |
| Abstract |
Identifying close relatives in wild animal populations is
fundamental across many research fields. Genetic estimates of
relatedness have expanded rapidly in recent decades, drawing on a range
of genetic data types. Here, we review their use and outline
opportunities for future studies by combining two complementary
approaches. First, we conducted a systematic literature review,
assessing 2861 articles in depth to identify how genetic relatedness has
been estimated over time. Second, we compare widely used genetic data
types for inferring relatedness, conducting computational experiments
using data from a rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) population in
Puerto Rico. We compared other methods against precise
identity-by-descent segment-based estimates of relatedness. Our results
show that most studies of relatedness (87.8%) continue to rely on short
tandem repeat (STR) markers, despite their limited precision.
Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-marker-based relatedness estimates
remain underused (8% of studies), even though they yield more reliable
estimates when sampled in sufficient numbers. Finally, we find that the
simple pairwise-mismatch rate (PMR) method for estimating relatedness in
whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data (commonly used in human ancient DNA
studies) performs robustly on low-coverage data, for example, DNA
retrieved from faecal samples or from cost-effective low-coverage WGS
(lcWGS). Together, our findings highlight that lcWGS, combined with
PMR-based relatedness estimation, is a promising, cost-effective
alternative when DNA quality is limited, genomic resources are scarce,
or economic efficiency is essential. |
| Freudiger, A., Kestel, N., Jovanovic, V.M., de Brito, M.M., Ruiz-Lambides, A.V., Nowick, K., Widdig, A., Ringbauer, H. (2026): Genetic estimates of relatedness: established practices and new opportunities through low coverage whole-genome sequencing Mol. Ecol. 35 (11), e70375 10.1111/mec.70375 |
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