Insect Population Ecology and Molecular Genetics

摘要: Molecular genetic techniques provide powerful tools to study insect biology, ecology, and population genetics in both natural laboratory populations. Analysis of proteins, nuclear or mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), messenger ribonucleic (mRNA) can be used answer ecological questions. proteins by electrophoresis is useful with many insects, but some taxa low levels detectable variation cannot studied unless more sensitive DNA markers are used. analyses identify biotypes sibling species, determine paternity, resolve whether hybridization introgression occurs, information on founder effects, structure, gene flow, inbreeding, bottlenecks, dispersal, selection intensity. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) often reduce costs allow large numbers specimens sampled. Large amounts sampled rapidly inexpensively individuals random amplified polymorphic (RAPD) method PCR, restriction enzyme digests PCR fragment length poly-morphisms (RFLP-PCR), amplified poly-morphism (AFLP-PCR) method. Although technically challenging expensive, such as fingerprinting using microsatellite DNA, heteroduplex analysis, double-strand conformation polymorphism (DSCP) at individual levels. Recently, the use microarray (DNAchip) analysis has allowed researchers evaluate responses plants attack, it shows promise answering other important questions well.