Mitochondrial DNA as a Molecular Marker in Insect Ecology: Current Status and Future Prospects

Abstract Molecular techniques are powerful tools that can address many research problems in insect ecology. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a widely used molecular marker. It easy to use and has favorable biological properties, such as near-neutrality, lack of recombination, clock-like evolutionary rate. However, there some issues involved when using mtDNA data population genetics, species delimitation, estimating the history populations species. Exceptions simplicity mitochondrial inheritance other limitations include small effective sizes, maternal inheritance, complex processes. Combining nuclear markers improve power test phylogenetic phylogeographic hypotheses. We review applications ecology conclude better understanding properties mitochondria essential for application mtDNA.