Eur. J. Entomol. 122: 279-286, 2025 | DOI: 10.14411/eje.2025.032

The prospects of using retrotransposon iPBS molecular marker to characterise the genetic diversity of Chrysochraon dispar and Stethophyma grossum (Orthoptera: Acrididae)Original article

Rūta STARKA ORCID...1, Paula Marta MUCENIECE ORCID...2, Nikole KRASŅEVSKA ORCID...2, Andra MIĶELSONE ORCID...2, Gunita DEKSNE ORCID...1, Dace GRAUDA ORCID...2
1 Department of Ecology, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Latvia, Jelgavas street 1, LV-1004 Rīga, Latvia; e-mails: ruta.starka@lu.lv, gunita.deksne@lu.lv
2 Laboratory of Environmental Genetics, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Latvia, O. Vācieša street 4, LV-1004 Rīga, Latvia; e-mails: paula_marta.muceniece@lu.lv, nikole.krasnevska@lu.lv, andra.mikelsone@gmail.com, dace.grauda@lu.lv

Molecular markers have become indispensable tools in contemporary ecological research, offering insights into genetic diversity and structure. These parameters are pivotal for addressing fundamental questions in landscape ecology and planning effective species conservation. Grasshoppers have one of the largest genomes known. A significant portion of the grasshopper genome is composed of mobile genetic elements, with a particular abundance of retrotransposons. In this study, we utilised the iPBS (inter-primer binding sequence) PCR based fingerprinting marker system, as a novel approach based on retrotransposons for the study of Orthoptera. We evaluate the efficacy of the iPBS primers system in characterizing the genetic diversity of two large-genome grasshopper species, Stethophyma grossum and Chrysochraon dispar. Our findings demonstrate the potential of iPBS markers as a valuable tool for assessing the genetic diversity of orthopterans. This approach offers a promising avenue for future research in population genetics and conservation biology.

Keywords: Grasshoppers, molecular ecology, DNA fingerprinting, transposable elements

Received: October 22, 2024; Revised: September 23, 2025; Accepted: September 23, 2025; Published online: October 14, 2025  Show citation

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STARKA, R., MUCENIECE, P.M., KRASŅEVSKA, N., MIĶELSONE, A., DEKSNE, G., & GRAUDA, D. (2025). The prospects of using retrotransposon iPBS molecular marker to characterise the genetic diversity of Chrysochraon dispar and Stethophyma grossum (Orthoptera: Acrididae). EJE, 122, Article 279-286. https://doi.org/10.14411/eje.2025.032
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