FRANz: Fast reconstruction of wild pedigrees

Abstract

We present a software package for fast pedigree reconstruction in natural populations using co-dominant genomic markers such as microsatellites and SNPs. If available, the algorithm makes use of prior information such as known relationships (sub-pedigrees) or the age and sex of individuals. Statistical confidence is estimated by a simulation of the sampling process. The accuracy of the algorithm is demonstrated for simulated data as well as an empirical data set with known pedigree. The parentage inference is robust even in the presence of genotyping errors.