Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers
10:17

Laboratory Protocol for Genetic Gut Content Analyses of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Using Group-specific rDNA Primers

Published on: October 5, 2017

PERMANENT GENETIC RESOURCES: Cross-family amplification: microsatellites isolated from Macropodidae are polymorphic

F R Donaldson1, P E Vercoe

  • 1School of Animal Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley 6009, WA, Australia.

Molecular Ecology Resources
|May 19, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Microsatellite markers from kangaroos (Macropodidae) were tested in bettongs (Potoroidae). Amplification success varied, showing that genetic distance does not predict marker utility across these related marsupial families.

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Zoology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • The superfamily Macropodoidea includes kangaroos (Macropodidae) and bettongs (Potoroidae).
  • Cross-species microsatellite amplification is common in kangaroos but less documented in bettongs.
  • Microsatellite loci are valuable genetic markers for population studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the utility of 17 microsatellite loci from kangaroos and bettongs for genetic analysis in Bettongia lesueur (a potoroid).
  • To determine if genetic distance influences microsatellite marker success in cross-species amplification within Macropodoidea.

Main Methods:

  • Testing 17 microsatellite loci for amplification and polymorphism in Bettongia lesueur.
  • Comparing locus success rates with the genetic distance from the species of origin.

Main Results:

  • Variable success rates were observed for the tested microsatellite loci in Bettongia lesueur.
  • Locus success was not correlated with the genetic distance from the original species.

Conclusions:

  • Established kangaroo microsatellite loci show potential for use in bettong species, but with variable success.
  • Genetic distance alone is an insufficient predictor for selecting cross-species microsatellite markers within Macropodoidea.

More Related Videos

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals07:40

A Noninvasive Hair Sampling Technique to Obtain High Quality DNA from Elusive Small Mammals

Published on: March 13, 2011

The Golden Apple Snail Pomacea canaliculata: From Zygotes to Stable Mutant Lines10:08

The Golden Apple Snail Pomacea canaliculata: From Zygotes to Stable Mutant Lines

Published on: December 23, 2025

Related Concept Videos

Formation of Species01:31

Formation of Species

Speciation describes the formation of one or more new species from one or sometimes multiple original species. The resulting species are discrete from the parent species, and barriers to reproduction will typically exist. There are two primary mechanisms, speciation with and without geographic isolation—allopatric and sympatric speciation, respectively.Allopatric SpeciationIn allopatric speciation, gene flow between two populations of the same species is prevented by a geographic barrier, like...
Multi-species Conserved Sequences02:51

Multi-species Conserved Sequences

Next-generation sequencing technologies have created large genomic databases of a variety of animals and plants. Ever since the human genome project was completed, scientists studied the genome of primates, mammals, and other phylogenetically distant living beings. Such large-scale  studies have provided new insights into the evolutionary relationship between organisms.
Although the genome of each species varies greatly from each other, a few sequences are highly conserved. Such conserved DNA...
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...