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SAPP

                                     The Life of Trees   (Or:  Still Another Phylogeny Program)

    FAQ     The Science     Credits     Inputs      Output     

Frequently-Asked Questions

Q:  Where can I find more help on using SAPP?

A: Here are a variety of additional resources:

  • A simple one-page explanation of the SAPP output tree (JPG format): Link.
  • A “Getting Started” video on Youtube. Beginners should start here: Link.
  • Another Youtube video covering more Advanced options in SAPP: Link.
  • Another Youtube video on how to analyze Big Y matches using SAPP: Link.
  • A training video for the CSV-Analysis tool that automates the generation of /STRDATA and /SNPDATA inputs: Link.

Q: What are the Terms of Service for using these tools?

A: None of the tools on this website store any personal information nor do they share ANYTHING with anyone else. The input data you provide is not shared and neither that data nor any data in memory is retained by the tools after a run. No personal genomic (or any) information of any kind is retained by these tools or used in any fashion other than to provide you the output as described. The tools do have internal databases of general information (Y-DNA haplotree, STR mutation rates, etc) but no personal data.

In return, users assume responsibility both for having legally obtained the input data and for the subsequent use and interpretation of the output of these tools. The author (see About Me) is the sole controlling interest in the SAPP tool and receives no financial remuneration for the tool, it is provided purely as a volunteer effort for community benefit. SAPP is copyrighted under US Law. These tools are for analysis purposes for personal and community use only and are not authorized for commercial use.

Q: Does this tool plot my family tree?

A: We can’t gather enough data from DNA yet for that or be 100% sure that your ancestry follows statistical averages precisely. So think of SAPP as a modeling tool for your most likely tree rather than the perfect tree – given what you know about the STRs, SNPs, and genealogies for your group it will help you plot the likely relationships between members. In cases where there are gaps in the data provided, SAPP will make predictions about how the group fits together. As more data about the group becomes available either through additional DNA testing or genealogy research, you can update the input file which will also improve SAPP’s knowledge about the group and either confirm or correct its predictions.

Q: How do I know if the tree is right?

A: As you look at the trees produced by SAPP, look for inconsistencies. Do the SNP labels line up with the SNP test results? Do the patterns of STR mutations make sense, or does the same STR mutation show up repeatedly in close branches of the tree? Is the number of STR mutations in certain parts of the tree unreasonably large for the timeframes?

If you spot inconsistencies, the first likely reason is that the constraints on the tree are wrong. Check that the SNP and genealogy cross-reference matches the SNP and Genealogy inputs you meant to provide and correct anything that looks wrong. Check the SNP marker table to ensure that the kits were read in correctly. If everything looks right with the input then consider whether your assumptions about the group are correct. Are you sure those members are ALL descendants of that ancestor? Could one of the SNP results be incorrect?

You may end up with more than one possible tree as you change inputs and see the results. Hopefully that will help you prioritize what testing your members should take next in order to find out more about their shared heritage.

Q: Why does SAPP give me a bunch of warnings that “STR DYS389ii-i adjusted to 16 for kit XXXXXX?”

A: The DYS389 STR has two parts, and Family Tree DNA reports both within its first 12 markers and the second “DYS389ii” part includes the count from the “DYS389i” part. To make calculating genetic distance easier, SAPP subtracts out the first part from the second and is just telling you that it did that. You can ignore these messages, they are informational only.

Q: Why does SAPP offer an option to show trees in text form for larger numbers of kits?

A: Because the picture size needed to show large trees gets too large to manage. With 100 kits of input, the resulting picture can be over 10,000 pixels on each side! So to allow the tool to show results for larger numbers of kits, SAPP offers the text-based tree structure as an easier option to handle for showing the relationships, STR mutations, and TMRCA data.

Q: Why do the TMRCA estimates look wrong for my tree?

A: The TMRCA estimates are based on the differences between STRs in the kits in the node’s branches. Those differences are not proportionally spread across time and so the resulting TMRCAs can be higher or lower at different points on the tree.

The TMRCA estimates show the most likely estimate first, with the 67% ranges shown in brackets. Normally no matter how the most likely estimates change as you go back in time, the ranges will still get older as you move up the tree. In rare cases, however, the entire TMRCA estimate may look out of place. This may indicate that fewer or more STR mutations than normal occurred between those branches, or it may indicate that SAPP was wrong in how it placed those branches on the tree. You’ll need to look at the STR mutations carefully in that area of the tree to see if they make sense.

In the end, remember that TMRCA calculations based on STRs are only an approximation. As you find out more about the timeframes your ancestors lived in and the projected ages of the SNPs used in your tree, use those age estimates to calibrate the TMRCAs that SAPP reports for the various nodes.