Application of molecular methods in zoology in the Baltic countries

Abstract

<p>Contemporary tools of molecular biology open new possibilities in zoology and provide important answers to classic problems. Zoological questions of mating strategies, physiological adaptation, identification of life-cycle stages, genetic exchange between populations, analysis of hybridization, population structure in "typical" sexual organisms, measuring inbreeding, species/subspecies identification (a technique for species identification of parasites without the need for separation from the host), determination of geographical origin, and many others are now being powerfully addressed using tools from the molecular arsenal. Molecular genetic techniques are clearly having an impact on what have been traditionally considered to be purely zoological studies. Applications in Baltic countries are discussed.</p>