ModEst - Precise estimation of genome size from NGS data

Accurate estimates of genome sizes are important parameters for both theoretical and practical biodiversity genomics. We present here a fast, easy-to-implement and precise method to estimate genome size from the number of bases sequenced and the mean sequencing depth. To estimate the latter, we take advantage of the fact that a precise estimation of the Poisson distribution parameter lambda is possible from truncated data, restricted to the part of the sequencing depth distribution representing the true underlying distribution. With simulations we could show that reasonable genome size estimates can be gained even from low-coverage (10X), highly discontinuous genome drafts. Comparison of estimates from a wide range of taxa and sequencing strategies with flow-cytometry estimates of the same individuals showed a very good fit and suggested that both methods yield comparable, interchangeable results.