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Molecular EcologyMolecular Ecology
courtesy of Carol Ritland
Molecules Ecology
Molecules ???Ecology ???
What is this
combination ???
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Molecular EcologyMolecular EcologyApplication of molecular genetics methods to ecological problemsUsing genetic markers to study systematics, phylogeography, phylogenetics, species concepts, conservation biology, adaptation and evolutionary concepts
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SummaryApplications Examples Historically (before
1978)Currently (1978 to now)
Evolution Detection of forces Model organisms eg. D. melanogaster
Any species
Conservation Biology
Species specific Did not exists Started in 1978, a well recognized field
Diversity Bio community Basic microbiology Use molecular markers and genomics
Complexity Soil (Bacteria/Fungal communities
Difficult to detect, did not exists
Genomics, very current
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Examples of environmental factors influencing phenotypic traits
http://r4r.ca/en/step-outside/nature-guides-archive/page/early-june-2011
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http://www.earthrangers.com/wildwire/top-10/top-10-biggest-cats8
Species of big catsSpecies of big cats
http://specieshanginthebalance.com/en/florida-panther
Puma concolor coryi
http://spako3.blogspot.ca/2012/04/iranian-cheetah-uzpalang-irani.html
Acinonyx jubatus
http://gentlefootprintsanimalanthology.blogspot.ca/2010/04/big-cats-dont-purr.html
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Genetic markers and big catsGenetic markers and big catsWhat are the molecular ecological stories
behind these big cats?How can macromolecules help with the
stories? Marker, L.L., Wilkerson, P., Sarno, R.J.,Martenson, J.,
Breitenmoser-Wursten, C., O’Brien, S.J. and Johnson, W.E. (2008) Molecular Genetic Insights on Cheetah(Acinonyx jubatus) Ecology and Conservation in Namibia. J. Heredity 99(1): 2-13
Culver, M., Hedrick, P.W., Murphy, K., O’Brien, S.J. and Hornocker, M.G. (2008) Estimation of the bottleneck size in Florida panthers. Animal Conservation 11: 104-110
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History of Molecular EcologyHistory of Molecular Ecology
Ecology is rooted in systematics and the evolutionary processes
Around 400 BC Aristotle and Pliny attempted some formal systematics
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History of Molecular EcologyHistory of Molecular Ecology
1867-Isolation of turacin (Church, 1870), a cooper containing pigment, a chemical
only in the Musophagidae family.
-Advent use of macromolecule for
figuring out species relationships.
1858 – Darwin and Wallace delivered a joint paper to a Linnean society
1859 – Darwin published The Origin of Species, over 150 years ago (1859)
1758 –Linnaeus produced the binomial method
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History of Molecular EcologyHistory of Molecular Ecology1933 – Robert Brown start the terms
nucleoplasm and cytoplasm1873- Chromosomes were observed but not
recognized for their significance 1866-Gregor Mendel published Experiments on
Plant Hybridization (1865, 1866) forgotten and rediscovered
1901-William Bateson translated Mendel’s paper (German) Rediscovered by 3 independent botanist (Correns, De Vries and Tschermak)
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History of Molecular EcologyHistory of Molecular Ecology 1903 – Walter Sutton proposed a
relationship between Mendels’ segregating factors, chromosomes and inheritance.
1909 – W.L. Johannsen proposed the term gene
1908 – Hardy and Weinberg demonstrated population with randomly mating individuals retain their gene frequencies from one generation to the next
“Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium” 14
History of Molecular EcologyHistory of Molecular Ecology
1968 - M. Kimura than formulated the neutral theory of molecular evolution
1930s - Ronald Fisher, J.B.S. Haldane and Sewall Wright = mathematical works linking genetics with evolutionary theory
Neo-Darwinism known also as The modern synthesis
Random Drift theory contrast that of modern synthesis (Wright)
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History of Molecular EcologyHistory of Molecular Ecology 1937- Haldane suggested that a loss of fitness was due to
recurrent mutations 1950 – Muller suggested the concept of genetic load which
helped Kimura with his neutral theory of molecular evolution
1953 – Rosalind Franklin discovered the X-ray diffraction of the DNA helix
1953 – The structure of DNA was co-discovered by Watson and Crick
1990 – Molecular Ecology Journal began 16courtesy of Carol Ritland
1966 Several independent researchers use electrophoretic methods and histochemical enzyme stains = genetic variability
Publication of first journal for molecular evolution (Journal of Molecular Evolution)
1972, first successful evidence of molecular cloning
Edwin Southern (1975) created technique Southern Blotting
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Fredrick Sanger (1977) Cambridge and Walter Gilbert and Allan Maxam (1973) Harvard created sequencing technique
Kary Mullis (1983) perfected polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
2000 Genome Canada = genomics and proteomics research
2001 Draft human genome by Lander et al and Venter et al
2003 Barcoding of Life (Herbert et al)
History of Molecular EcologyHistory of Molecular Ecology
18courtesy of Carol Ritland
History of Molecular EcologyHistory of Molecular Ecology Genetics in Ecology
began with a recognition of chromosomes that their impact on species differentiation
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History of Molecular EcologyHistory of Molecular EcologyChanges in the frequency of traits over time
were related to ecological factors and the pressures of natural selection
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History of Molecular EcologyHistory of Molecular Ecology Hybrid zones are often of great interest to
ecological geneticists Cryptic phenotypes can mask species differences
and hybrids Phenotype should show fitness variation and yet
be heritable Phenotypic plasticity can confuse species,
population and individual differences Sibling species can be difficult to identify when
they have arose from recent speciation events
21courtesy of Carol Ritland
History of Molecular EcologyHistory of Molecular Ecology Large genotypic
changes may result in minimal morphological changes = cryptic species
Conversely, large morphological changes may not necessary equal large genotypic changes
Morphological traits that are polymorphic may not make for ideal characters for population studies
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Why do we bother with Why do we bother with molecular genetics in molecular genetics in
Ecology?Ecology?
What is a molecular marker?What is a molecular marker?
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27courtesy of Carol Ritland
Molecular MarkersMolecular Markers
What are they?
- a readily detectable sequence of DNA or protein whose inheritance can be monitored
To be useful molecular markers must possesscertain characteristics:
polymorphic
reproducible
preferably display co-dominant inheritance
(both forms detectable in heterozygotes)
fast and inexpensive to detect
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Molecular markersMolecular markers Historically (1900), the first molecular marker was
the use of protein in blood group (ABO) by Karl Landsteiner
1910 – Von Dungern and Hirszfeld demonstrated that ABO blood groups are heritable
1927 Landsteiner and Levine also discovered other blood group (MN, Rh and P)
Today they are invaluable for blood transfusions Many, many markers have since been discovered
and will be discussed in later lectures
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