Browsing by Subject "Microtus"
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Item Behavior, demography, and competition in Microtus longicadus and M. mexicanus(Texas Tech University, 1971-08) Conley, Walter H,Not availableItem Development of species- and genome-specific genetic markers by representational difference analysis: application in systematic and evolutionary research(Texas Tech University, 1999-08) Nekrutenko, AntonIn the study of biodiversity, it is important to have a reliable system for identification of various genetically distinct units (species, subspecies, etc). One of the most efficient tools available today is the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with diagnostic primers, that yield a detectable product for one taxon but not for other taxa. Critical to this method is the identification of diagnostic DNA fragments from which primers can be designed. Representational difference analysis (RDA) can reliably isolate DNA fragments that are unique to a specific taxon. In this report, we demonstrate the utility of the technique by development of binary markers that distinguish between two cryptic species of voles (genus Microtus).Item Molecular evolution in Microtus from Chernobyl(Texas Tech University, 1997-05) DeWoody, James AndrewThe Chernobyl disaster offers a unique opportunity to study the biological effects of pollution on resident mammals. Specifically, there are three hypotheses that can be tested using nuclear genetic data. First, are levels of genetic diversity (number of alleles per locus) similar in zone and control populations? Second, is the occurrence of rare or private alleles more common in zone populations? Third, do allele frequencies at individual loci differ among populations? Each question effectively serves as a null hypothesis, e.g., that there are no differences between zone and control populations. If the contaminated environment near Chernobyl is affecting resident populations, there should be differences in some or all of these parameters. Each of the three questions listed above will be addressed using both protein and DNA data.