A Maximum-Likelihood Estimator of the Genetic Identity betweenn Polyploid Species

Based on a recently proposed method for estimating the genetic identity between polyploid species, maximum-likelihood estimators are given for the genetic identity between polyploid species, for the ancestral degree of homozygosity and their variances. As an example, the genetic identity, the ancestral degree of homozygosity and their variances were estimated from data sets of populations of two species, the weevilPolydrusus mollisand the salamanderEnsatinacomplex. It was found that other indices of the genetic identity between species obviously underestimate genetic identity due to the pooling of differences caused by mutation and drift.