We have explored the possible impacts of both demography and selection on X-linked genetic variation. With regards to the former, we were particularly interested in investigating the possibility of male versus female demographic differences as these can be detected by comparing autosomal and X-linked data. Previous studies have found evidence for skewed gender ratios. Indeed, here we showed that evidence for asymmetries in both directions (male Ne/ female Ne less than or greater than one) can be found within a single dataset. Our results suggest that the picture of male versus female demography is complex and that each study addressing this question should be viewed as providing insight on a particular geographical scale and period in history rather than an absolute answer.
X chromosomes and human demographic history
Amanda M Casto et al. Characterization of X-Linked SNP genotypic variation in globally-distributed human populations. Genome Biology 2010, 11:R10doi:10.1186/gb-2010-11-1-r10