Manel Stephanie, Gaggiotti Oscar E, Waples Robin S
Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine (LECA), Génomique des Populations et Biodiversité, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France.
Trends Ecol Evol. 2005 Mar;20(3):136-42. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2004.12.004. Epub 2005 Jan 6.
Assignment methods, which use genetic information to ascertain population membership of individuals or groups of individuals, have been used in recent years to study a wide range of evolutionary and ecological processes. In applied studies, the first step of articulating the biological question(s) to be addressed should be followed by selection of the method(s) best suited for the analysis. However, this first step often receives less attention than it should, and the recent proliferation of assignment methods has made the selection step challenging. Here, we review assignment methods and discuss how to match the appropriate methods with the underlying biological questions for several common problems in ecology and conservation (assessing population structure; measuring dispersal and hybridization; and forensics and mixture analysis). We also identify several topics for future research that should ensure that this field remains dynamic and productive.
近年来，赋值方法利用遗传信息来确定个体或个体群体的种群归属，已被用于研究广泛的进化和生态过程。在应用研究中，阐明要解决的生物学问题的第一步之后，应该选择最适合分析的方法。然而，这第一步往往没有得到应有的重视，而且最近赋值方法的激增使得选择步骤具有挑战性。在这里，我们回顾赋值方法，并讨论如何将合适的方法与生态学和保护领域几个常见问题（评估种群结构；测量扩散和杂交；以及法医和混合分析）的潜在生物学问题相匹配。我们还确定了几个未来研究的主题，这些主题应确保该领域保持活力和生产力。
