| Chapter title |
Species Determination: The Role and Use of the Cytochrome b Gene.
|
|---|---|
| Chapter number | 20 |
| Book title |
Forensic DNA Typing Protocols
|
| Published in |
Methods in molecular biology, January 2016
|
| DOI | 10.1007/978-1-4939-3597-0_20 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Book ISBNs |
978-1-4939-3595-6, 978-1-4939-3597-0
|
| Authors |
Adrian Linacre, James Chun-I Lee |
| Editors |
William Goodwin |
| Abstract |
The illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn has led to a catastrophic decline in elephant and rhino populations worldwide. These iconic high profile species are one part of the illegal trade in wildlife products that threatens these species and the ecological balance in the habitats in which they live. Identification of the species present is required to determine that the trade is illegal and contrary to national legislation. This chapter details a robust DNA technique using part of the cytochrome b gene on the mitochondrial genome that will work on poor quality samples such as powdered horn or ivory products including statues and carvings. An appropriate DNA extraction technique is required to obtain at least 1 ng of DNA from which the amplification of part of the cytochrome b gene using universal primers is performed. This produces a fragment of 486 bp in size which can be sequenced using standard technologies. The resulting sequences are then aligned to voucher specimens or sequences on reliable databases. Analyses of the data should lead to confident species identification. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 1 | 17% |
| United States | 1 | 17% |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 17% |
| Unknown | 3 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 5 | 83% |
| Scientists | 1 | 17% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 1 | 2% |
| Unknown | 52 | 98% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Bachelor | 15 | 28% |
| Student > Master | 7 | 13% |
| Researcher | 4 | 8% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 4 | 8% |
| Other | 4 | 8% |
| Other | 4 | 8% |
| Unknown | 15 | 28% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 15 | 28% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 8 | 15% |
| Chemistry | 3 | 6% |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 6% |
| Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 2 | 4% |
| Other | 7 | 13% |
| Unknown | 15 | 28% |