Using genetics to understand the dynamics of wild primate populations

Table 2 Estimation of the costs of consumables for a wild primate population genotyping project

Item	Price in EUR for 900 collected samples
Collection materials for 900 samples, following the two-step collection method (Nsubuga et al. 2004)	620
DNA extraction with QIAamp DNA stool mini kit	2,800
DNA quantification using quantitative PCR (Morin et al. 2001)	1,200
Sexing using the amelogenin assay with three replicates for each sample	500
Performing PCRs at 15 loci with three replicates for each sample	7,600
Genotyping using the ABI sequencer with three dyes loaded at each time	3,600
Total	16,320

In this example, the population to be studied consists of an estimated 300 individuals unhabituated to human observation. To reliably estimate the population size or to confirm an individual’s identity from multiple samples, three samples are assumed to have been collected for each individual. Furthermore, each sample is assumed to be genotyped three times at each locus, including the sexing locus. This procedure is highly conservative but is good practice in studies utilizing noninvasive samples. The prices used for calculations are as of 2008 in Germany. Salaries for laboratory personnel are not included