A Comparison of Non-Destructive Visceral Swab and Tissue Biopsy Sampling Methods for Genotyping-by-Sequencing in the Freshwater Mussel .

Limiting harm to organisms caused by genetic sampling is an important consideration for rare species, and a number of non-destructive sampling techniques have been developed to address this issue in freshwater mussels. Two methods, visceral swabbing and tissue biopsies, have proven to be effective for DNA sampling, though it is unclear as to which method is preferable for genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). Tissue biopsies may cause undue stress and damage to organisms, while visceral swabbing potentially reduces the chance of such harm.

Genetic structure in Louisiana Iris species reveals patterns of recent and historical admixture.

Premise: When divergent lineages come into secondary contact, reproductive isolation may be incomplete, thus providing an opportunity to investigate how speciation is manifested in the genome. The Louisiana Irises (Iris, series Hexagonae) comprise a group of three or more ecologically and reproductively divergent lineages that can produce hybrids where they come into contact. We estimated standing genetic variation to understand the current distribution of population structure in the Louisiana Irises.