Sex, size and timing: sampling design for reliable population genetics analyses using microsatellite data

1. Population genetics is used in a wide variety of fields such as ecology and biodiversity conservation. How estimated genetic characteristics of natural populations can be influenced by the sampling design has been a long-standing concern. Multiple simulation and empirical studies illustrated the influence of both sample size and polymorphism of markers. However, our review of studies on butterfly population genetics indicates no consensus on sample size for the estimation of genetic diversity or differentiation. Furthermore, other aspects of sampling design (sex ratio and timing of sampling) were not addressed and their potential impact on genetic parameter estimates rarely explored. 2. Using a large empirical dataset (with spatial and temporal replicates) collected on a butterfly species, Boloria aquilonaris, as well as simulated datasets reflecting (1) three scenarios of migration-genetic drift equilibrium and (2) one scenario of parameter stabilization after 100,000 generations, w...