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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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