delrious


A computer program designed to analyse molecular marker data and calculate relatedness and delta estimates with confidence


DESCRIPTION

delrious is a computer program that accepts as input data representing codominant, single locus, diploid molecular markers (e.g., microsatellites), applies to them the algorithm that is described in Lynch, M. & K. Ritland. 1999. Genetics 152:1753-1766, and returns delta and relatedness estimates.

delrious can implement bootstrap and jackknife resampling procedures to provide confidence measures. Syntax templates for running analyses are contained in a notebook that distributed with the code.

delrious uses the technical computing environment Mathematica (Wolfram Research, Inc. 2000) as a software platform and can be run under Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft Windows, or Unix operating systems.

delrious was composed by J. Stone & M. Björklund (2001. delrious: a computer program designed to analyse molecular marker data and calculate relatedness and delta estimates with confidence. Molecular Ecology Notes 1:209-212).


IMPLEMENTATION

Data should comprise paired rows containing numbers representing allele sizes at various loci in individuals; datafiles may be prepared using spreadsheet software and saving them as Tab delimited text files.

To run delrious 4-8 parameters are entered:



path where data to be analysed reside (e.g., "HAL900/DATA/datafile.txt")

loci number (e.g., 17)

initial locus to be included (e.g., 2)

final locus to be included (e.g., 16)

location for output (optional; 0 = none, (e.g., "HAL9000/DATA/datafile.out")

allele proportions to be used (optional; 0 = allele proportions calculated from data, lists input by user)

format for terminal output (optional; 0 = lists, 1 = matrices)

estimate(s) returned (optional; 0 = relatedness estimates, 1 = relatedness and delta estimates).
The parameter 'location for output' defaults to 0 (none); if the output is to be stored in a file, then a filename should be provided.

The parameter 'allele frequencies to be used' defaults to 0 (allele frequencies obtained from data); if allele frequencies obtained from other sources are to be used, then they should be input according to syntax templates.

The parameter 'terminal output format' defaults to 0 (lists); if matrices are desired, then a 1 should be input (displaying matrices becomes unwieldly for data including many individuals; e.g. , matrices containing many comparisons).

The parameter 'estimate(s) to be provided' defaults to 0 (relatedness estimates); if relatedness and delta estimates are desired, then a 1 should be input.


OUTPUT

Output comprises pairwise comparisons between individuals; these are stored as elements in a triangular matrix that can be read by spreadsheet software (e.g., Microsoft Excel).

r estimates are returned first;

delta estimates (if desired) are returned second.


DOWNLOAD

delrious


Note: the latest version of delrious runs under Mathematica v. 4.0.1.0. A version of delrious that runs under Mathematica v. 2.1 is available from JS.


To obtain additional information concerning delrious, please feel welcome to email

jstoner@mcmaster.ca.

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