Phylogeography
Definition
The study of the geographic distribution of genetic lineages within and among closely related species. Provides the reference maps that forensic population genetics draws on.
- Studies
- Geographic distribution of genetic lineages
- Scope
- Within and among closely related species
- Forensic role
- Reference data for population genetics work
- Applied to
- Estimating geographic origin, e.g. from insects
Common questions
How does phylogeography help estimate where an insect specimen came from?+
Reference databases built from phylogeographic studies record which genetic lineages of a species occur in which regions. Comparing a specimen's genetic markers against that reference lets an analyst narrow down its likely geographic origin, useful for tracing a body or contraband's travel history.
Is phylogeography the same as forensic population genetics?+
No, phylogeography is the underlying biological science that maps where genetic lineages occur, while forensic population genetics applies that mapped data, along with statistical methods, to draw case-specific conclusions such as likely origin or population membership.
Related terms
- Body Movement Inference
- The forensic application: using the population-genetic signature of insects collected from a body to estimate where colonisation occurred, and therefore potentially where...
- Gene Flow
- The movement of alleles between populations through migration and reproduction. High gene flow homogenises populations; low gene flow allows them to differentiate...
- Genetic Structure
- The degree to which populations within a species are genetically differentiated from each other. Measured by statistics like Fst (fixation index). High...
- Haplotype
- A specific set of genetic variants inherited together, typically used here for mitochondrial DNA variants. Different geographic populations of the same species...
- Reference Population Panel
- A georeferenced dataset of sequences from known collection localities, used as the comparison baseline when the provenance of a forensic specimen is...