List the types of markers you would select if you wish to do

List the type(s) of markers you would select if you wish to do the following types of studies. Briefly explain your choices. Compare pollen and seed flow in a plant species Compare male and female dispersal in an animal species

Solution

A. In this case, the Molecular markers can be used as the flow of seeds and pollen corresponds to the gene flow. This can be done by using allozymes as markers and the geneflow can be estimated from the distribution of the allozyme variation over the populations. The use of allozyme provides information in respect to pollen and seed- mediated gene flow in the plants and exhibit Mendelian inheritance with a mutation rate of 10^-6.

B. In this, the dispersal can be studied by the Bi-parental markers or the use of a mode of inheritance such as mtDNA markers and microsatellites. The Bi-parental markers will show the dispersal rate by relying on the sampling scheme in a sub-population. The allele frequency is randomized and is able to detect the differentiation in species after the dispersal of genes. The mtDNA markers help in inferring the patterns of dispersal and the differential migration of the sexes. This can be applied to variety of species including mammals.