Evolutionary divergence of AP-PCR (RAPD) patterns
1Department of Biology, New York University, New York 10003, USA.
Molecular Biology and Evolution
|April 29, 1998
Summary
Arbitrary Primer Amplified Polymorphic DNA (AP-PCR) divergence rates vary significantly across different animal groups, refuting their use as a universal molecular clock. However, AP-PCR patterns can still date evolutionary events within specific taxa.
Area of Science:
- Molecular evolution
- Population genetics
- Phylogenetics
Background:
- Arbitrary Primer Amplified Polymorphic DNA (AP-PCR) is a molecular technique used to assess genetic variation.
- Understanding the rate of genetic divergence is crucial for dating evolutionary events and constructing phylogenetic trees.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the regularity of AP-PCR pattern divergence rates across different taxa.
- To determine if AP-PCR divergence can serve as a universal molecular clock for evolutionary dating.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of AP-PCR pattern divergence rates in primates, antelopes, and Hawaiian Drosophila grimshawi.
- Comparison of divergence rates among the examined taxa.
Main Results:
- AP-PCR divergence rates varied significantly among primates, antelopes, and Hawaiian Drosophila.
- The results indicate that AP-PCR does not exhibit clocklike regularity across all animal groups.
- A strong correlation was observed between AP-PCR pattern divergence and time since divergence within each specific group.
Conclusions:
- AP-PCR divergence rates are not constant across diverse animal taxa and cannot be used as a universal molecular clock.
- AP-PCR can be a valuable tool for dating evolutionary divergence events when calibrated within a limited taxonomic group.
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