Definition: Mitochondrial DNA which is passed down from the mother to all her children, males and females. The genetic material of the mitochondria, the organelles that generate energy for the cell.
Context: A major result from phylogeographic analyses based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the repeated identification of deep historical subdivisions (hereafter mtDNA phylogroups made up of distinct mtDNA haplotypes) within many vertebrate taxa (Avise 2000). The evolutionary significance of these mtDNA lineages, however, remains largely unresolved. In particular, it is unclear how frequently these mtDNA phylogroups represent independently evolving lineages that have developed substantial amounts of adaptive differentiation vs. those that show little differentiation in functional variation (Avise et al. 1998)
Expression: Human Mitochondrial DNA
Weighting mark: nor
Sources:
Term: EMERY, A.E.H. y MUELLER, R.F. (1992) Elements of Medical Genetics, Churchill Livingstone: New York. 8th Edition.
Definition: MIMI Biology (2013): “MtDNA”. Recuperado el 23 de diciembre de 2013 de: http://en.mimi.hu/biology/mtdna.html
Context: LISLE GIBBS, H. Et ali (2006): „Hybridization between mtDNA-defined phylogeographic lineages of black ratsnakes (Pantherophis sp.). Molecular Ecology (2006) 15, 3755-3767. Recuperado el 23 de diciembre de 2013 de: http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~eeob/
Expression: Eupedia.com (2013): „List of European mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups adn subclades with their defining mutations“. Recuperado el 23 de diciembre de 2013 de: http://www.eupedia.com/europe/european_mtdna_haplogroups.shtml
Images:
http://www.webmed.ch/Archiv_akuelle_Meldungen/Mitochondriale_Erkrankungen.htm (abgerufen im November 2013).