| Summary: | We have developed a method for identifying maternal lineage of two species, the spotted seal Phoca largha and the harbor seal P. vitulina, using restriction fragment length polymorphism of PCR products (PCR-RFLP) in mitochondrial DNA. A partial sequence of the cytochrome b gene (Cytb) was amplified and digested with AluI in both species. In agarose gel electrophoresis digested PCR product from P. largha showed two bands, while one from P. vitulina showed a single band. Sequence analysis confirmed the precise detection of mitochondrial DNA lineage using PCR-RFLP methods developed in the present study. Some exceptions, where morphological character, color and pattern of fur, and mtDNA type were inconsistent, were also observed, suggesting possible hybridization of these species, as well as the possibility of misidentification by fur color and pattern. departmental bulletin paper
|
|---|