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. 2016 Aug 11;11(8):e0160878. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160878

Fig 1. Architecture of AGM TaqMan assays: a “molecular key”.

Fig 1

Flowchart depicting the parallel qPCR assays designed for the molecular identification of Lymantria dispar subspecies and eight additional Lymantria species, including those considered to be AGM. The assay scheme comprises three conceptual subgroups (yellow boxes), each encompassing a specific set of questions (light blue boxes): (i) Is the unknown a member of the AGM complex and, if so, which AGM species/subspecies is it? (ii) If the unknown is not AGM, is it EGM and, if so, does it show signs of Asian introgression? And (iii) if the unknown is neither AGM nor EGM, is it one of five other threatening Lymantria species (OTLS)? The assay is designed like a taxonomic key where molecular features substitute for morphological characters; it may therefore be thought of as a “molecular key”. Each unknown sample is processed in a sequential manner through the key, starting at the top left, until it can be assigned to a taxon or to the category “non-target species” (NTS; bottom right).