Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers are
becoming one of the most popular tools for genetic analysis in
the fields of evolutionary genetics and conservation of genetic
resources. These markers are restriction fragments that are
amplified by PCR following the addition of adapters to the
fragments. Both RAPD and AFLP are multi-locus systems
making use of primers that simultaneously bind to many different
parts of a genome resulting in the amplification of many
loci at the same time. However, the high stringency PCR used
in the AFLP protocol amplifies markers that are more reliable
than RAPD and minisatellites. Although per marker information
in dominant and biallelic AFLP markers is low as compared
to microsatellites, the generation of a large number of
markers outweighs this limitation of AFLP. Zenger et al.
(2006) have used AFLP to evaluate genetic diversity in the
endangered sand tiger shark (Carcharodon taurus) and the
great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias); both the species
displayed relatively high levels of allelic diversity with a total
of 59 and 78 polymorphic loci respectively. Giannasi et al.
(2001) have investigated the use of AFLP to aid determination
of the species tree for 24 specimens of a medically important
snake and suggested that AFLP may prove a valuable aid in
determining species trees at fine taxonomic levels to facilitate
the incorporation of molecular data into such activities as antivenom
production and conservation management. Inbreeding
estimates based on both AFLP and microsatellite markers
using empirical data from 179 wild and captive-bred old-field
mice have been found to correlate strongly with pedigree-based
inbreeding coefficients suggesting AFLP markers as a valuable
tool for estimating inbreeding coefficient in natural populations
and for examining correlations between heterozygosity
and fitness (Dasmahapatra et al., 2008). Lucchini (2003) have
compared the multi-locus AFLP results with single-locus
markers (microsatellites) and haploid organellar marker
(mtDNA) sequences and suggested that the AFLP technique
could be very useful in a wide range of conservation studies.