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Molecular Tools For Biodiversity Conservation

Unravelling Cat Mysteries

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Abstract

Molecular techniques are gaining importance in biodiversity conservation in India. They are especially beneficial in the case of rare species with cryptic habits that make them difficult study subjects when using conventional field techniques. Molecular tools can be used to decipher distributions and population connectedness in fragmented habitats and identify populations of immediate conservation concern. We discuss these with case studies on some cat species in India.

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Correspondence to Shomita Mukherjee or Uma Ramakrishnan.

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Shomita is a Principal Scientist at the Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore. She is interested in all aspects of small cat ecology and evolution as well as exploring limits to geographical distributions of species (other than cats too).

Uma is an associate professor at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR. She is interested in applying genetic methods to the conservation of endangered species.

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Mukherjee, S., Ramakrishnan, U. Molecular Tools For Biodiversity Conservation. Reson 23, 309–324 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-018-0620-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-018-0620-4

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