title: Efficient moment-based inference of admixture parameters and sources of gene flow.
abstract: The recent explosion in available genetic data has led to significant advances in understanding the demographic histories of and relationships among human populations. It is still a challenge, however, to infer reliable parameter values for complicated models involving many populations. Here, we present MixMapper, an efficient, interactive method for constructing phylogenetic trees including admixture events using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype data. MixMapper implements a novel two-phase approach to admixture inference using moment statistics, first building an unadmixed scaffold tree and then adding admixed populations by solving systems of equations that express allele frequency divergences in terms of mixture parameters. Importantly, all features of the model, including topology, sources of gene flow, branch lengths, and mixture proportions, are optimized automatically from the data and include estimates of statistical uncertainty. MixMapper also uses a new method to express branch lengths in easily interpretable drift units. We apply MixMapper to recently published data for Human Genome Diversity Cell Line Panel individuals genotyped on a SNP array designed especially for use in population genetics studies, obtaining confident results for 30 populations, 20 of them admixed. Notably, we confirm a signal of ancient admixture in European populations-including previously undetected admixture in Sardinians and Basques-involving a proportion of 20-40% ancient northern Eurasian ancestry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lipson
authors.forename: Po-Ru
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Reich
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berger
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D003198:Computer Simulation; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D051456:Gene Flow; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010802:Phylogeny; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012984:Software; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics
keywords: admixture; genetic drift; human populations; moment statistics