lab exercise - genetic diversity in Red-backed Fairywren

We did a little bit lab exercise on genetic diversity in a fascinating Australian bird - Red-backed fairywren. 

Standardizing Field Protocols to Track Specimen (Tissue) Quality

Given the sensitivity of many molecular methods to variation in specimen preparation and that specimens may undergo different field and curatorial preparations prior to being accessioned into museum collections, are there any efforts to standardize such protocols and/or add such documentation to specimen annotations? I think this can be pertinent and helpful. Just as an example, I have stable isotopes and microbial work in mind, where specimen handling, preparation, and storage can impact data quality and validity.

Best,
Elaine

Anh-Thu Elaine Vo

Pigeons, in All Their Genetic Variety

“The diversity of the breeds is something astonishing,” he wrote a few years later in “On the Origin of Species” — a work greatly informed by his experiments with the birds.

Pigeon breeding, Darwin argued, was an analogy for what happened in the wild. Nature played the part of the fancier, selecting which individuals would be able to reproduce... continue reading LINK

connect to Dr. McCormack

connecting with Dr. McCormack from Occidental College.

Spring 2013 - Evolutionary Genomics and the Museum