Using population genetic theory and DNA sequences for species detection and identification in asexual organisms.

ABSTRACT:

Background

It is widely agreed that species are fundamental units of biology, but there is little agreement on a definition of species or on an operational criterion for delimiting species that is applicable to all organisms.

Methodology/principal findings

We focus on asexual eukaryotes as the simplest case for investigating species and speciation. We describe a model of speciation in asexual organisms based on basic principles of population and evolutionary genetics. The resulting species are independently evolving populations as described by the evolutionary species concept or the general lineage species concept. Based on this model, we describe a procedure for using gene sequences from small samples of individuals to assign them to the same or different species. Using thi

SUBMITTER: Birky CW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2869354 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature