Quetzal

Quetzal provides a C++ library for constructing spatially explicit, coalescence-based population genetics simulators and embedding them within Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) inference frameworks to model population growth, migration, and genetic diversity responses to explicit environmental factors.

Key Features:

• Modular Design: Composed of reusable C++ components for implementing spatially explicit coalescence-based environmental models.
• General Applicability: Offers a general framework that supports a variety of population genetics models used in molecular ecology and phylogeography.
• Integration with Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC): Enables embedding simulations within ABC workflows to estimate model parameters from genetic data.

Scientific Applications:

• Modeling population dynamics and migration: Simulates population growth and migration across fragmented and temporally dynamic environments conditioned on environmental factors.
• Phylogeography and molecular ecology inference: Supports inference of genetic diversity patterns across landscapes using coalescence models.

Methodology:

Provides reusable components and a general framework to implement spatially explicit coalescence-based environmental models and to embed those simulations within an ABC inference framework; it is a library for building simulators rather than a standalone simulation program.