Coalescent Models of Demographic History: Application to Plant Domestication

Abstract

A detailed understanding of the origins of domesticated species is important for many disciplines. Recent advances in this field have been made with the use of genome-wide polymorphisms and improved statistical methods. In this chapter, we review the most important developments of coalescent models for the inference of demographic history from genome-wide data. These methods include sequential Markovian models, range expansion models, and approximate Bayesian computation. We summarize the applications of the methods to some major cultivated cereals, including rice, maize, and millet. Then we discuss extensions of these methods that would better incorporate the interaction of demographic processes with selection and inclusion of gene flow with wild related species.