Molecular Methods in Ecology

The incorporation of molecular methods in ecological research has
added an exciting new dimension to conventional studies, and opened
windows into previously intractable areas of research, at the
interface between ecology and genetics. Using these new methods it
has now become routine to use genetic markers to study ecological
phenomena, from molecular sexing of individuals and parentage of
offspring, through to population structure of species and
phylogenetic relationships of taxa. These methods have stimulated
an explosion of empirical and analytical developments in molecular
ecology, which have in turn, increasingly attracted students and
professional biologists eager to employ them in their
studies.

Molecular Methods in Ecology traces the development of
molecular ecology by reviewing basic molecular biological
techniques and earlier methods such as protein electrophoresis,
DNA-DNA hybridisation, restriction analysis of DNA, and DNA
fingerprinting. Later chapters review methods using newer classes
of markers such as microsatellites, introns, MHC, SSRs and AFLP
markers in plants and molecular sexing in animals. The strengths
and limitations of methods are discussed and guidance is provided
in selecting the most appropriate methods for particular problems
in ecology.

This book will provide both postgraduates and researchers with a
guide to choosing and employing appropriate methodologies for
successful research in the field of molecular ecology.

* * Provides up-to-date summaries of the latest molecular
approaches in this rapidly expanding field.

* Gives guidance on the appropriate choice of methods for
particular problems in ecology, and their strengths and
limitations.

* Provides brief laboratory protocols for each molecular method
and summaries of software available for analysis of data in
molecular ecology.

* Outlines examples of the latest research results from studies
of both plants and animals, integrated within the framework of
molecular ecology.