Lesson plan
Shadow effect
The shadow effect is a phenomenon seen in genetic studies that use noninvasive genetic data collection methods. It occurs when there are not enough loci and/or loci that have low variance of alleles within the population. As a result, researchers can capture two separate individuals and mistakenly label them as the same individual. This can create a negative bias in the data and portray a population as smaller and less genetically diverse than it is. This is most commonly seen in collection methods that rely on environmental DNA (eDNA) which is collected directly from the environment (such as feces or hair removed from the ground). The accuracy of non-invasive collection data can be increased by increasing the amount of loci being examined during the study.
Article summary
The shadow effect is a phenomenon seen in genetic studies that use noninvasive genetic data collection methods. It occurs when there are not enough loci and/or loci that have low variance of alleles within the population. As a result, researchers can capture two separate individuals and mistakenly label them as the same individual. This can create a negative bias in the data and portray a population as smaller and less genetically diverse than it is. This is most commonly seen in collection methods that rely on environmental DNA (eDNA) which is collected directly from the environment (such as feces or hair removed from the ground). The accuracy of non-invasive collection data can be increased by increasing the amount of loci being examined during the study.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.