Real-time PCR assays for the identification of harbor and gray seal species and sex: A molecular tool for ecology and management.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Matejusová, Iveta; Bland, Fiona; Hall, Ailsa J.; Harris, Robert N.; Snow, Michael; Douglas, Alex; Middlemas, Stuart J.
- Source
- Marine Mammal Science; Jan2013, Vol. 29 Issue 1, p186-194, 9p
- Subject
- POLYMERASE chain reaction
GRAY seal
HARBOR seal
HALICHOERUS
INTERPHOTORECEPTOR retinoid-binding protein
- Language
- ISSN
- 08240469
The article presents a study which aims to develop Taqman quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays to know the sex and species of seals that are the source of scat around the coastline in Great Britain. The study uses two species-specific Taqman qPCR for both gray and harbor seal, targeting the interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP) coding gene. It confirms that using polymorphisms in a variety of microsatellite loci gives insight to the population and ecology of seals.