title: Advances in sex determination in bats and its utility in wind-wildlife studies.
abstract: We developed a simple and reliable genetic method to determine sex in bats from the Vespertilionidae and Molossidae families. Polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify a portion of the introns within the zinc-finger-X (Zfx) and zinc-finger-Y (Zfy) genes. We designed primers to produce size variation between the Zfx and Zfy products that could be visualized using gel electrophoresis. Using an example from our wind-wildlife research, we show how sex data generated using this method are superior to sex data based on external morphology. Our method allows for the generation of sex data across a wide range of bats that can be used to address key questions in wildlife forensics, behavioural ecology, conservation and evolutionary biology.
authors: Biology Department, Texas Christian University, 2800 S. University Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA. j.korstian@tcu.edu
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Korstian
authors: A M
authors: AM
authors: Hale
authors: V J
authors: VJ
authors: Bennett
authors: D A
authors: DA
authors: Williams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012732:Sex Determination Analysis / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins
keywords: Molossidae; Vespertilionidae; fatality monitoring; sex primers; wind energy; wind turbines