Molecular markers for tropical trees: a practical guide to principles and procedures

In the last decade, there has been an enormous increase worldwide in the use of molecular marker methods to assess genetic variation in trees. These approaches can provide significant insights into the defining features of different taxa and this information may be used to define appropriate management strategies for species. However, laboratory techniques are generally expensive, and costs must be weighed carefully against the utility of the information revealed. This is especially important when the total funds available for study of any particular species are limited, as is generally the case for tropical trees because there are so many taxa to research