鸟类性别鉴定技术研究进展

Development of Techniques for Sexing Birds

鸟类性别鉴定曾经通过外科手术对生殖腺直接进行检测 ,此法不仅繁琐而且有时会导致鸟的不育 ;细胞学水平上鉴定性别是通过直接观察W、Z性染色体而进行 ,但由于染色体数目大、分散难度高 ,很容易引起人为的主观因素导致结果错误。近年来利用鸟类W染色体上的性连锁基因或DNA序列 ,通过PCR、原位杂交等技术建立起来的DNA分子水平性别鉴定方法 ,发展迅猛 ,准确度高 ,操作简便。此技术一旦形成体系 ,对鸟类研究、濒危物种保存等都将具有非常重要的意义。

There are two traditional methods of sexing birds: surgical and cytological. The former examines the gonads directly and carries the risk of causing sterility. The latter examines chromosomes in the cell nucleus assigning sex based on the size difference between W and Z chromosomes, but is prone to subjective error. At present, the molecular method of sexing birds, which is based on sex-linked genes or DNA, employs the most advanced analytical methods such as PCR and Southern Blot Hybridization. This method is simple, cheap and effective. It plays an important role in both the conservation of rare and endangered birds and scientific research.