Erin Kirk - Phylogeography of Montane Salamanders in Southwest Virginia
Descrição
Ampersand Day Student Showcase 2017
Advisor: Dr. George Argyros, Biology
Researchers should use the least destructive and minimally invasive methods when studying rare species. Genetic sampling utilizing skin mucus swabs has been demonstrated to yield sufficient quantities of cells for DNA analysis, comparable to the conventional, but more invasive and potentially harmful, toe or tail clipping methods. This method will also allow testing for the two types of Amphibian Chytrid fungus which are detrimental to amphibians at the global scale, whereas tail clippings usually cannot provide enough DNA to test for the fungus.
This research matters to me because I grew up around the Appalachian Mountains where I spent most of my childhood outdoors exploring and looking for little critters. I quickly fell in love with learning about different animals and plants and realized at an early age that I wanted to work outdoors and do something to help preserve natural resources. Southwest Virginia holds a diverse array of salamanders, many of which are endangered. Because of this I decided I would work with salamanders, however, this swabbing technique should also work on other amphibians. Hopefully other researches who are studying amphibians will use this minimally invasive technique with intent to promote species conservation.
Advisor: Dr. George Argyros, Biology
Researchers should use the least destructive and minimally invasive methods when studying rare species. Genetic sampling utilizing skin mucus swabs has been demonstrated to yield sufficient quantities of cells for DNA analysis, comparable to the conventional, but more invasive and potentially harmful, toe or tail clipping methods. This method will also allow testing for the two types of Amphibian Chytrid fungus which are detrimental to amphibians at the global scale, whereas tail clippings usually cannot provide enough DNA to test for the fungus.
This research matters to me because I grew up around the Appalachian Mountains where I spent most of my childhood outdoors exploring and looking for little critters. I quickly fell in love with learning about different animals and plants and realized at an early age that I wanted to work outdoors and do something to help preserve natural resources. Southwest Virginia holds a diverse array of salamanders, many of which are endangered. Because of this I decided I would work with salamanders, however, this swabbing technique should also work on other amphibians. Hopefully other researches who are studying amphibians will use this minimally invasive technique with intent to promote species conservation.
Palavra-chave: meteorologia moçambique 7 dias
