Table 1.
Comparison of population genetic simulators
| Feature | SPLATCHE2 [16] | SimAdapt [6] | quantiNEMO [7] | SFS_CODE [4] | SLiM [5] | popRange |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simulation method | Coalescent | Forward-Time | Forward-Time | Forward-Time | Forward-Time | Forward-Time |
| Data type | SNPs, STRs, DNA sequences, RFLPs | SNPs, STRs | SNPs, STRs | SNPs, DNA sequences | SNPs, DNA sequences | SNPs |
| Interface | Command-line, GUI | Command-line, GUI, accessed via R package RNetlogo | GUI | Command-line | Command-line | R package |
| Many SNPs (>100) | No | No | Allowed, but very slow [6] | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Population structure | Friction, migration rates (one rate per population) | Dispersal distance (one rate per population) | Migration rates, stochastic founding/extinction of populations | Migration rates, speciation, domestication & admixture events | Migration rates | Population grid based, migration rates, stochastic founding/extinction of populations |
| Population dynamics | Logistic growth | Logistic growth | Logistic growth | Logistic & exp. growth, step size changes | Step size changes | Logistic growth, Allee effect, step size changes |
| Natural selection | No | Fixed values | Many models, spatially & temporally varying | Fixed values, gamma, normal & 3-point mass models | Fixed values, gamma & exponential distributions | Fixed values, gamma distribution, spatially & temporally varying |
| Linkage | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |