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Genetic Identification (genetic + identification)
Selected AbstractsGenetic Identification of Pelagic Shark Body Parts for Conservation and Trade MonitoringCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2002Mahmood Shivji Difficulties with the identification of many commonly fished sharks and their body parts has resulted in a global dearth of catch and trade information, making reliable assessment of exploitation effects and conservation needs for individual species nearly impossible. We developed and tested a highly streamlined molecular genetic approach based on species-specific, polymerase-chain-reaction primers in an eight-primer multiplex format to discriminate simultaneously between body parts from six shark species common in worldwide pelagic fisheries. The species-specific primers are based on DNA sequence differences among species in the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 locus. The primers and multiplex format accurately and sensitively distinguished samples from each of three lamnid ( Isurus oxyrinchus, Isurus paucus, and Lamna nasus) and three carcharhinid ( Prionace glauca, Carcharhinus obscurus, and Carcharhinus falciformis) species from all but one other shark species encountered in the North Atlantic fishery. Furthermore, the three lamnid primers were robust enough in their discriminatory power to be useful for species diagnosis on a global scale. Preliminary testing of dried fins from Asian and Mediterranean commercial markets suggests that our genetic approach will be useful for determining the species of origin of detached fins, thus allowing the monitoring of trade in shark fins for conservation assessment. Our approach will also facilitate detection of products from protected and other at-risk shark species and may prove useful as a model for development of the high-throughput, genetic, species-diagnosis methods typically required in conservation and management contexts. Resumen: La conservación y manejo de tiburones fundamentado a nivel de especie es una necesidad imperativa debido a la creciente demanda de aletas de tiburón y el reconocimiento de que las especies individuales de tiburones responden de manera distinta a la explotación. Las dificultades para la identificación de muchos tiburones capturados comúnmente, así como de partes de su cuerpo, han resultado en una escasez global de información sobre capturas y comercialización, haciendo casi imposible el poder realizar evaluaciones de los efectos de la explotación y de las necesidades de conservación. Desarrollamos y evaluamos un método altamente estilizado de genética molecular basado en detonadores de la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa, especie-específicos, en un formato múltiple de ocho detonadores para discriminar simultáneamente entre las partes del cuerpo de seis especies de tiburones provenientes de pesquerías pelágicas mundiales comunes. Los detonadores especie-específicos están basados en diferencias en las secuencias de ADN entre especies del locus espaciador 2 nuclear, ribosomal, transcrito. Los detonadores y el formato múltiple distinguen muestras con precisión y sensitividad de cada uno de los tres lámnidos ( Isurus oxyrinchus, Isurus paucus y Lamna nasus) y tres especies de carcarínidos ( Prionace glauca, Carcharhinus obscurus y Carcharhinus falciformis) especies todas encontradas en las pesquerías de Norteamérica, excepto una. Mas aún, los detonadores de los tres lamnidos fueron lo suficientemente robustos en su poder discriminante como para ser usados para el diagnóstico de especies a escala mundial. Las pruebas preliminares de aletas secas de los mercados comerciales de Asia y el Mediterráneo sugieren que nuestro método genético puede ser útil para determinar la especie de origen de las aletas separadas, permitiendo así usar el monitoreo de las aletas de tiburón para evaluaciones de conservación. Nuestro método también podría facilitar la detección de productos provenientes de especies protegidas o en riesgo y podría resultar útil como un modelo para el desarrollo de métodos genéticos de alto rendimiento para el diagnóstico de especies, métodos típicamente requeridos en los contextos de conservación y manejo. [source] Genetic identification of morphologically cryptic agricultural pestsAGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 1 2009J. S. Ellis Abstract 1,Wireworms are the polyphagous larvae of click beetles and are well known as agricultural pests. Larvae of the genus Agriotes are internationally recognized as economically important pests of potato. Historically associated with crop damage after conversion of grassland, they are an increasing problem even in all-arable rotations. 2,Current studies of Agriotes ecology and behaviour, and consequently control and management, are seriously hampered by the lack of a means of reliably identifying larvae owing to morphological crypsis during this life-stage. 3,Here, sequence data at the mitochondrial 16SrRNA gene are presented for three species of wireworm: Agriotes obscurus, A. lineatus, and A. sputator. A novel terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) technique is described that identifies larvae of these species. This technique is shown to be both efficient and reliable. Interestingly, thus far the samples tested have yielded no A. lineatus. Implications for future study of wireworm ecology and control are discussed. [source] Genetic identification of source populations for an aquarium-traded invertebrateANIMAL CONSERVATION, Issue 1 2009D. A. Weese Abstract Increasingly, wildlife managers are turning to molecular genetics to aid in conservation efforts. While such approaches have been applied to large terrestrial and aquatic vertebrate species, their application to other traded organisms has not been extensively explored. Here, we examined the utility of these techniques for identifying source populations of aquarium ornamental invertebrates, using members of the Hawaiian atyid genus Halocaridina as a study system. These shrimps, restricted to anchialine habitats of the Hawaiian Islands, are popular in the aquarium trade due to their ability to survive in hermetically sealed containers for extended periods of time. However, commercial harvesting, coupled with habitat destruction and strong regional endemism, could lead to the depletion/extinction of unique populations. Because the land district of Kona, along the west coast of the island of Hawai'i, has the state's highest concentration of anchialine habitats, we hypothesized that commercially available Halocaridina originated from this region. To test this, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene sequences from 96 individuals, obtained from six vendors, were compared with 580 homologous sequences from previous studies covering the known distribution range of Halocaridina. Recovery of identical, regional-specific haplotypes, network analyses and statistical assignment tests identified these commercially acquired specimens as belonging to either the Kona, Ka',, (western and southern coasts, respectively, island of Hawai'i) or Kina'u (southern coast, island of Maui) genetic groups of these shrimps. Although 39 of the 96 individuals originated from the Kona genetic group as hypothesized, our finding that commercially available Halocaridina are from three genetic groups spanning two islands suggests that other populations also warrant potential management consideration. While this study represents the first application of molecular genetics in identifying source populations of aquarium ornamental species, we feel that these techniques are amenable more broadly as they are dependent on only a few caveats. [source] Non-invasive genetic identification of small mammal species using real-time polymerase chain reactionMOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 6 2008S. MORAN Abstract DNA identification of non-invasive samples is a potentially useful tool for monitoring small mammal species. Here we describe a novel method for identifying five small mammal species: wood mouse, bank vole, common shrew, pygmy shrew and water shrew. Species-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction primers were designed to amplify fragments of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene from hair and scat samples. We also amplified nuclear DNA from scats, demonstrating their potential as a source of DNA for population genetic studies. [source] Characterization of 22 microsatellites loci from the endangered Houbara bustard (Chlamydotis undulata undulata)MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES, Issue 4 2002Faiza Chbel Abstract Here we present a new set of 22 microsatellite loci isolated from Chlamydotis undulata undulata, an endangered Houbara bustard found across North Africa. The number of alleles per locus ranged from one to nine, and heterozygosities ranged from 0.167 to 0.944. Total exclusionary probabilities using these loci for the first and the second parent were 0.992932 and 0.999915, respectively. Successful cross-amplification was observed in eight other Otididae species (12,22 of the 22 loci). These microsatellite markers are powerful tools for genetic identification, paternity assignment and population genetic studies. [source] High-throughput epidemiologic typing in clinical microbiologyCLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION, Issue 2 2003A. Van Belkum Mapping, and ultimately preventing, the dissemination of infectious agents is an important topic in public health. Newly developed molecular,microbiological methods have contributed significantly to recent advances in the efficient tracking of the nosocomial and environmental spread of microbial pathogens. Not only has the application of novel technologies led to improved understanding of microbial epidemiology, but the concepts of population structure and dynamics of many of the medically significant microorganisms have advanced significantly also. Currently, genetic identification of microbes is also within the reach of clinical microbiology laboratory professionals including those without specialized technology research interests. This review summarizes the possibilities for high-throughput molecular,microbiological typing in adequately equipped medical microbiology laboratories from both clinical and fundamental research perspectives. First, the development and application of methods for large-scale comparative typing of serially isolated microbial strains are discussed. The outcome of studies employing these methods allows for long-term epidemiologic surveillance of infectious diseases. Second, recent methods enable an almost nucleotide-by-nucleotide genetic comparison of smaller numbers of strains, thereby facilitating the identification of the genetic basis of, for instance, medically relevant microbiological traits. Whereas the first approach provides insights into the dynamic spread of infectious agents, the second provides insights into intragenomic dynamics and genetic functionality. The current state of technology is summarized, and future perspectives are sketched. [source] | ||||||||||