Slide Deck 1 Flashcards
What jurisdiction is CITES?
international
What law(s) cover National protection of animals?
Endangered Species Act, and Provincial Hunting and Fishing regulations
What protections are included by the various protection laws?
illegal capture, harvest, or sale, as well as, promotion of health and safety (e.g. disease transmission)
what is wildlife DNA forensics?
Using animal DNA to answer legal questions including plants, bacteria, and a bunch of vertebrates
what statutes are supported by wildlife forensics?
Canada Wildlife Act, or Species at Risk Act
What is Wildlife DNA biology in terms of law/investigators?
tool used by investigators to identify: species, sex, individuals, parentage, and source population of collected evidence
What are the DNA applications of Non-human/wildlife/pet/veterinary DNA forensics?
pervasive/expanding
What is the principle of Non-human/wildlife/pet/veterinary DNA forensics?
most biological matter contains DNA
What are the linkages and associated biological evidence of Non-human/wildlife/pet/veterinary DNA forensics?
- species strain
- individual
- population
- relative
Where are uncommon places to find biological evidence/DNA?
air filters, dust, and water samples
what is the critical importance of genetic information?
when put into databases it can provide the statistical context for linkage of evidence/samples (it is the key to forensic science and scientific method implimentation
what are the challenges of wildlife DNA compared to human?
- different life histories
- different types of DNA
- different tissues (antler and eggs)
- fewer established protocols and databases
why does wildlife forensic have unique concerns and challenges?
because of its broad taxonomic reach and the legal framework which the practices support
what type of activities are dealt with through wildlife forensic science?
illegal trafficking in protected wildlife, illegal, unregulated, and unreported fisheries, and the illegal timber trade
What does CITES stand for
commitee on international trade endangered species
what are the services offered by the wildlife DNA forensic laborotatory services?
- species identification
- sex identification
- individual identification
- parentage analysis
- geographic/population identification
what is the goal of genetic species ID?
to prioritize sampling for DNA yield and preservation
What are the two types of DNA barcoding?
DNA barcoding, and envDNA metabarcoding
What are the sources of ivory?
elephant, mammoth, hippo, walrus, whales, and warthogs
T/F: Ivory trade is illegal?
false, some legal, some not, depends on species and CITES
what is a life history?
characteristics of a species, average age of death, birth dates, sex ratios, contribution to reproduction
what is hard to detect for life histories
in some animals there may be several fathers for the children (snakes); clonal species (trees)
What is the DNA analysis of wildlife forensics?
compare the evidence taken from the kill site and associated DNA from suspect
what is OSAC
organization of scientific areas and committees: governing bodies for different scientific disciplines
What is parentage identification?
SAR, but legally permitted breeding pairs
what does parentage identification establish?
if animals in captive breeding program are/are not offspring of registered breeding pairs
and the illegal movement of livestock during quarentine
What industry is a massive issue with wildlife forensics?
timber/lumber
What do you avoid/take when seeing a pile of guts?
avoid organs (they are biologically active), take things that have dried out very fast.
What is the key conditions of tissues collected
Dry and cold
what is a massive issue with wildlife forensics?
bark/timber
How is DNA shearing dealt with?
by PCR
degredation of DNA can occur from by what methods discussed in class?
heat, radiation, bacteria, hydrolysis reactions, autolysis, chemical degredation, fungal deterioration etc.
Individualization of DNA can be found in less time due to what?
if there is a long strand of DNA with more variations
Where can mtDNA and Nuclear DNA be found on a carcass?
hair shafts/hair plugs, blood quills, and ear cartilege
What will tell you if the DNA found is the same species or not?
level of variation
With the polar bear case study what kind of teeth were they? how did they know?
walrus, by analyzing the genetic variation
What is the major issue of black bear gall in terms of PCR?
people put drops of them into liquor which impedes PCR
