In molecular ecology, we use molecular techniques or study molecular patterns to identify and explain ecological patterns.
It's hard to keep track and stay on top of all the new technologies, techniques, and terminology. The expansion of the field started with the development of PCR, a technique many are now familiar with - or at least have heard of before. In PCR, specific pieces of genetic material are copied by first finding it, in which primers attach to the beginnings and ends of it, and then nucleotides are added in a chain-like fashion that match/complement the original genetic material. This process is repeated through cycles of heating and cooling to create hundreds of thousands, upon millions, of copies of the original target material.
Since then, it seems like the number of techniques have exploded. One recent method that has gotten a lot of public media in recent years is the CRISPR family of techniques tand edit parts of the genome. This is no surprise in an age where genetic testing allows a person to get results about their ancestry and genetic traits and "designing" babies to have desirable genes is a looming possibility. What is CRISPR? Where did it come from? Where is it going?
CRISPR are palindromic repeats of nucleotides that were originally found in archaea and bacteria. They are part of the immune defense system, so that when a virus (for example) attacks, CRISPR sends enzymes to find specific parts of the attacker's genetic material for editing or removal. CRISPR is able to identify these offenders and the specific parts to neutralize based on copies of previous attackers' genetic materials that they have incorporated as "spacers" in between their palindromic repeats. These "spacers" are transcribed into RNA and act as a guide for the enzymes to find where on the virus to attack/cut.
The different types of CRISPR systems depend on which enzyme is used to cut the virus' genome, and how they cut. The two big ones are Cas9 and Cpf1. Cas9 was the first to be described, and it uses the RNA transcribed from the "spacer" as well as a second piece of RNA to cut both strands of the attacking genome. Various flavors of the Cas9 system exist. Then, there is Cpf1 which does not need the second piece of RNA, and it does not cut both strands of the attacking genome in quite the same place - instead, a bit staggered.
CRISPR has been used to explore to not just cut out, but also turn on, off, or edit parts of genomes. In addition to treating diseases and illnesses (cancer, muscular dystrophy, Huntington's disease), applications also include the modification of food (yogurt) and agricultural products (corn), management of invasive species (rats, possums, stoats in New Zealand), de-extinction (WOAH!), and recently, diagnostics of viruses like Zika and Dengue (SHERLOCK).
Clearly these potential applications could have massive consequences, both intended and unintended. The appropriateness of CRISPR applications in conservation and wildlife is hotly debated.
