Recombination is a central biological process with implications for many areas in the life sciences. Yet we are only beginning to appreciate variation in the recombination rate along the genome and among individuals, populations and species. Spurred by technological advances, we are now able to bring variation in this key biological parameter to centre stage. Here, we review the conceptual implications of recombination rate variation and guide the reader through the assumptions, strengths and weaknesses of genomic inference methods, including population-based, pedigree-based and gamete-based approaches. Appreciation of the differences and commonalities of these approaches is a prerequisite to formulate a unifying and comparative framework for understanding the molecular and evolutionary mechanisms shaping, and being shaped by, recombination.

重组是一个重要的生物过程，对生命科学的许多领域都有影响。然而，我们才刚刚开始意识到沿着基因组以及个体，种群和物种之间重组率的变化。在技​​术进步的推动下，我们现在能够将这一关键生物学参数的变化带到中心舞台。在这里，我们回顾了重组率变异的概念含义，并通过基因组推断方法的假设，优缺点指导读者，包括基于群体，基于谱系和基于配子的方法。认识到这些方法的差异和共性是形成一个统一和比较的框架的先决条件，以理解分子结构和进化机制，以及重组过程。