Background
Discriminating taxa with the nuclear marker, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) has been accomplished for various organisms in economic, ecological, and evolutionary studies. The protocol available for AFLP generation does not require prior knowledge of the genome; however, it is often extensively modified to fit the needs of the researcher. Modification of this protocol for new labs is intimidating and time-consuming, particularly for taxa in which AFLP have not been previously developed. Furthermore, determining what constitutes quality output during different stages of fragment generation is not well defined and this may further hinder the use AFLP by new researchers. Findings: We present a step-by-step AFLP protocol, using flourophore-labeled primers for use with automated sequencers, including examples of both successful and unsuccessful
Conclusion
For researchers wanting to use AFLP, this molecular technique is difficult and time-consuming to develop. Clarifying what constitutes quality output for each step in AFLP generation will help to reduce redundant trials in protocol development and, in turn, advance the discipline of population genetics.