Genetic distance

Genetic distance

Genetic distance refers to the degree of genetic similarity or difference between two populations, which is determined by the number of markers that are present or absent in both individuals, as well as the number of markers that are present in one individual but not the other. It is a quantitative measure that helps to assess the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships between different populations.From: Scientific and Technical Terms in Bioengineering and Biological Engineering [2018], Plant Tissue Culture, Development, and Biotechnology [2019]

DNA Markers in Forensic and Diagnostic Science

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Published in Hajiya Mairo Inuwa, Ifeoma Maureen Ezeonu, Charles Oluwaseun Adetunji, Emmanuel Olufemi Ekundayo, Abubakar Gidado, Abdulrazak B. Ibrahim, Benjamin Ewa Ubi, Medical Biotechnology, Biopharmaceutics, Forensic Science and Bioinformatics, 2022

M. Y. Tatfeng, D. E. Agbonlahor, Ifeoma B. Enweani-Nwokelo, Ifeoma M. Ezeonu, Francisca Nwaokorie, E. A. Brisibe, D. Esiobu

There are several uses of molecular or DNA markers. They can be deployed in studying the relationship between a genetic disease and its genetic cause (for example, a particular change of a gene that yields a malfunctioning protein). Molecular markers are also employed in genetic evolution to determine genetic distances between individuals or populations. In addition, unique genetic markers (autosomal markers) which are found on mitochondrial or Y chromosomal DNA have provided valuable information on maternal and paternal linkages.

Thirty years of conservation genetics in New Zealand: what have we learnt?

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Journal Information

Published in Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 2019

Graham P. Wallis

Since only a small portion of the genome contributes to pre-zygotic or post-zygotic isolation, genetic distance is only a weak proxy for species boundaries. Species are defined by any of up to 30 widely accepted concepts, such as the BSC or PSC (Mayden 1997; Chambers 2012), not by genetic distance. A D of 0.15 (isozymes) or p of 2%–3% (COI barcoding) should only be used as a rough guide to species status, useful for identifying putative OTUs only in the absence of other information, especially in highly speciose unworked groups.

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DNA Markers in Forensic and Diagnostic Science

Thirty years of conservation genetics in New Zealand: what have we learnt?