News
24.02.2010
There was a minor
bug in
the first release of Arlequin version 3.5. Updated versions (3.5.1.2)
correcting this bug are now available on the
download page.
20.05.2010
All zip files have been updated to include new R functions and XML
package compatible with R ver 2.11.0.
People having downloaded previous versions can find instructions on
the
update page to make these updates manually.
Why
is it called Arlequin?
Arlequin is the French translation of "Arlecchino", a famous character
of the Italian "Commedia dell'Arte". As a character he has many
aspects, but he has the ability to switch among them very easily
according to its needs and to necessities. This polymorphic ability is
symbolized by his colorful costume, from which the Arlequin icon was
designed.
Arlequin
phylosophy
The goal of Arlequin is to
provide the average user in population genetics with quite a large set
of
basic
methods and
statistical tests, in order to extract information
on genetic and demographic features of a collection of population
samples.
The graphical interface is designed to allow users to rapidly select
the different analyses they want to perform on their data. We felt
important to be able to explore the data, to analyze several times the
same data set from different perspectives, with different selected
options.
The statistical tests implemented in Arlequin have been chosen such as
to minimize hidden assumptions and to be as powerful as possible. Thus,
they often take the form of either permutation tests or exact tests,
with some exceptions.
Finally, we wanted Arlequin to be able to handle genetic data under
many different forms, and to try to carry out the same types of
analyses irrespective of the format of the data.
Because Arlequin has a rich set of features and many options, it means
that the user has to spend some time in learning them. However, we hope
that the learning curve will not be that steep. A good way to start is
to read the
user
manual.
Arlequin is made available free of charge, as long as we have enough
local resources to support the development of the program.
Configuration
- Choose which Text Editor to use when editing project files
in the "Arlequin Configuration" tab.
- Locate the Rcmd.exe program to embed graphs in your
result project (needs the R
statistical package to be
installed)
The first thing to do before running Arlequin for the first time is
certainly to
read
the manual. It will provide you with most of the information you
are looking for. So, take some time to read it before
you seriously start analyzing your data.
