Simulation of genomic recombination and the influence of DNA sequence diversity on cluster formation and detectability of recombination: a scientific workflow method

The detection of recombination from DNA sequences is relevant to the understanding of evolutionary and molecular genetics. We developed a Recombination Simulation Scientific Workflow System (RSSWS) for simulating recombination and using GENECONV to test the effect of pairwise differences in a diverse population on the detectability of recombination. Decreases in recombination rate owing to pairwise differences resulted in population clusters analogous to sympatric speciation under specific conditions and decreases in detectability of recombination, a phenomenon that we call 'cryptic recombination'. This computational method demonstrated the value of scientific workflow methods for analysing a complex process and data driven problem.