Efficient designs are crucial for population genetic studies on forest species. In this study we employed individual based simulations aiming to evaluate what fraction of a population should be sampled to obtain confident estimations of allelic richness and of inbreeding coefficient in population genetic surveys. The simulations suggest that at least 10% of the total population has to be sampled to ensure reliable estimations of allelic richness and inbreeding coefficient. This approach will allow the confidence of the genetic parameters estimations of a larger number of populations, based on a minimal sample within each one.
sampling strategy; study design; allelic richness; inbreeding coefficient
