SNP genotyping and parameter estimation in polyploids using low-coverage sequencing data

Genotyping and parameter estimation using high throughput sequencing data are everyday tasks for population geneticists, but methods developed for diploids are typically not applicable to polyploid taxa. This is due to their duplicated chromosomes, as well as the complex patterns of allelic exchange that often accompany whole genome duplication (WGD) events. For WGDs within a single lineage (autopolyploids), inbreeding can result from mixed mating and/or double reduction. For WGDs that involve hybridization (allopolyploids), alleles are typically inherited through independently segregating subgenomes.