Use of AFLP markers in surveys of arthropod diversity

Arthropods comprise the most diverse group of animals on earth and as such have been the subject of considerable evolutionary research. For example, much of our understanding of the genetic basis of evolutionary change is derived from the insect genus Drosophila, one of the most well-studied organisms in biology. Arthropods are also of tremendous economic importance as both providers and chief destroyers of food for human consumption. Thus, the genetic diversity of arthropods is of interest from both a pure research perspective and for practical economic reasons. The amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) method of genetic analysis, developed in the early and mid-1990s (Vos et al., 1995; Zabeau, 1992; Zabeau and Vos, 1993), offers a relatively new method for assessing genetic diversity and has been increasingly applied in studies of arthropods. Originally coined selective restriction fragment amplification (SRFA) (Zabeau and Vos, 1993), the method was renamed (Vos et al., 1995) presumably to reflect its similarity to restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Since then, AFLPs have become a popular tool in both population genetics to estimate population parameters such as heterozygosity, F-statistics, migration rates, and genetic distances, as well as phylogenetics, to infer relationships among closely related taxa. In arthropods, AFLPs have been used to assess genetic variation both within and between species in various taxa including crustaceans, chelicerates, and insects, often yielding novel insights. In this chapter, we briefly describe the AFLP method and its strengths and limitations. We then discuss the use of AFLPs in surveys of arthropod diversity, highlighting the specific questions addressed using AFLPs. Finally, a section on experimental design and methods, based on research in our laboratory, is provided.