Multiplex PCR Identification of Eastern and Allegheny Woodrats in Zones of Contact

Two woodrat species, Neotoma magister and N. floridana haematoreia, are found in the Appalachian Mountain region of western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia, USA. Both are listed as either endangered or of special concern. Therefore, an accurate, nonlethal way to identify...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management 2002-01, Vol.66 (1), p.86-90, Article 86
Main Authors: Ray, Daniel K., Freshwater, D. Wilson, Wm. David Webster
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal populations
Animals
Annealing
Biological and medical sciences
Classical genetics, quantitative genetics, hybrids
Conservation biology
Endangered & extinct species
Endangered species
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Gels
Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution
Haplotypes
Identification
Methods, theories and miscellaneous
Mountain regions
Polymerase chain reaction
Species
Specimens
Taxa
Vertebrata
Wildlife management
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Description
Summary:Two woodrat species, Neotoma magister and N. floridana haematoreia, are found in the Appalachian Mountain region of western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and northwestern Georgia, USA. Both are listed as either endangered or of special concern. Therefore, an accurate, nonlethal way to identify these 2 similar species is of particular interest. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method that quickly and accurately distinguishes between N. magister and N. f. haematoreia is described here. Using this method, we amplified a universal DNA fragment of 313 base pairs in reactions containing DNA template from either species, but only reactions containing DNA template from N. f. haematoreia yielded an additional 237 base-pair nested fragment. This diagnostic test has been performed successfully on 61 woodrat samples. Limited trials indicated that it might also be used to distinguish between N. f. illinoensis and Neotoma magister along zones of contact in northern Alabama, western Tennessee and Kentucky, and southern Illinois, USA. The availability of universal primers for the mammalian mitochondrial control region makes the described development of species-specific primers and multiplex PCR an important method for distinguishing between other closely related mammalian taxa.
ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2307/3802874