Abstract
Knowledge of intraspecific variability of a certain species is essential for their long-term survival and for the development of conservation plans. Nowadays, molecular/genetic methods are the most frequently used for this purpose. Although, the Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) technique has become a promising alternative tool to specify intraspecific variability, there is a lack of information about the limitations of this method, and some methodological issues need to be resolved. Towards this goal, we tested the sensitivity of this method on an intraspecific level, using genetically identified individuals of a cryptic fish species complex collected from five distinct populations. Additionally, some methodologic issues, such as the effect of (1) delayed sample preparation, (2) clove oil anaesthetization, and (3) different tissue types (muscle, and brain) were investigated using the MS analysis results. Our results show that the delayed sample preparation has a fundamental effect on the result of MS analysis, while at the same time the clove oil did not affect the results considerably. Both the brain and muscle samples were usable for cryptic species identification, but in our opinion this method has limited applicability for population-level segregation. The application of MALDI-TOF MS to the exploitable toolkit of phylogenetic and taxonomic researches could be used to broaden conclusions.
Highlights
The severe habitat degradation and mass species extinctions are the most obvious evidence of the global biodiversity crisis [1,2]
Aligned sequences of 608 30 - ends of the mitochondrial control region were obtained from the 90 individuals studied, which were grouped into seven haplotypes (Table 1)
2020, 25,sequences of 608 3′- ends of the mitochondrial control region were obtained from the 90 individuals studied, which were grouped into seven haplotypes (Table 1)
Summary
The severe habitat degradation and mass species extinctions are the most obvious evidence of the global biodiversity crisis [1,2]. The decline of the intraspecific variability of a certain species has a specific negative effect on its long term survival This information is essential in conservation planning and in preserving the natural community structure [3]. The widespread application of molecular techniques has proven that these entities can be found in many animal groups [5] The importance of these cryptic entities is still insufficiently considered, despite the fact that they are required for wildlife and biodiversity conservation, as well as natural resource protection [6,7]. Their identification and description are critically important. These reproductively more or less isolated groups are the basic units of evolutionary development [8]
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