Microsatellites are molecular markers with numerous applications in biological research. In studies of both plants and animals, they can be used to investigate speciation, gene flow among populations, mating systems, and ...
Biotechnology
Oct 7, 2013
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The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a common technique used to amplify, or copy, pieces of DNA. Amplified DNA is then used in genetic analyses for everything from medicine to forensics. In plant research, PCR is a vital ...
Biotechnology
Jan 3, 2013
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Scientific tools for plant genetics research continuously fade away as newer methods evolve. However, researchers at Mississippi State University have found that one older method, the use of fragmented chloroplast DNA sequences, ...
Biotechnology
Jan 6, 2015
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The use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies in phylogenetic studies is in a state of continual development and improvement. Though the botanically-inclined have historically focused on markers from the chloroplast ...
Biotechnology
Sep 6, 2014
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Soils of southern South America, including Patagonia, have endured a high frequency of disturbances from volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, and erosion. In addition, massive fires in the mid-20th century were set ...
Ecology
Jan 23, 2014
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Today, many ecological and evolutionary studies depend on a wide range of molecular tools to infer phylogenetic relationships, uncover population structure within species, and track quantitative traits. Agricultural studies ...
Biotechnology
Aug 15, 2014
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Molecular studies of plants often depend on high-quantity and high-quality DNA extractions. This can be quite difficult in plants, however, due to a diversity of compounds and physical properties found in plants. "Tannins, ...
Biotechnology
Oct 2, 2014
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As technology advances, science has become increasingly about data—how to gather it, organize it, and analyze it. The creation of key databases to analyze and share data lies at the heart of bioinformatics, or the collection, ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 28, 2014
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A plant breeder discovers his experimental crops have been "contaminated" with genes from a neighboring field. New nasty weeds sometimes evolve directly from natural crosses between domesticated species and their wild relatives. ...
Biotechnology
May 28, 2014
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Tree growth is measured to understand tree health, fluxes in carbon sequestration, and other forest ecosystem functions. It is one of the most essential and widely collected woody plant traits. Yet, the traditional method ...
Ecology
Aug 26, 2013
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