BIOL 5240 Fall 2005

Ecological Genetics

 

11/4/05  Study Questions:

 

Gutierrez-Rodriguez, C. and H.R. Lasker. 2004. Microsatellite variation reveals high levels of genetic variability and population structure in the gorgonian coral Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae across the Bahamas.  Molecular Ecology 13:2211-2221.

 

Quick Quiz Questions (One of these will be chosen.  5 minutes to answer.)

 

  1. Why did the researchers in this study do Hardy-Weinberg analysis?

 

  1. In the material and methods section, the authors explain how they avoided sampling the same colony more than once.  Why is this so important for the kind of analyses they are doing (i.e. Hardy-Weinberg)?

 

  1. Why was it important to check for codominance of their microsattelite loci?

 

  1. How does the life history of gorgonian coral influence patterns of genetic diversity in this species?

 

  1. According to Table 2, which group (Exuma Sound, San Salvador, Little Bahama Bank) had the least allelic diversity?  Which had the most?  How to do the authors explain this difference?

 

  1. Why should conservation and management plants take into account genetic structure in this species?