DROPOUT: A tool for detecting allelic dropout

Genotyping error, often associated with low-quantity/quality DNA samples, is an important issue when using genetic tags to estimate abundance using capture-mark-recapture (CMR). DROPOUT, a MS-Windows program, identifies both loci and samples that likely contain errors affecting CMR estimates. DROPOUT uses a 'bimodal test' that enumerates the number of loci different between each pair of samples and a 'difference in capture history test' (DCH) to determine those loci producing the most errors. Importantly, the DCH test allows one to determine that a data set is error-free.

DROPOUT is free software for the MS-Windows operating system. The software was developed by NGC scientist Kevin McKelvey. The download file is in ZIP format and includes documentation.