A candidate gene approach can be rapidly applied if functionally conserved genes modifying a phenotype of interest have already been characterized in other model systems. This strategy depends heavily on the available genetic tools, including sequence databases for the design of gene specific PCR primers (wFleaBase, GenBank) and DNA libraries large enough to encapsulate whole loci (cosmids or BACs). These resources are largely in place for the Daphnia system and will continue to grow. This approach has been successfully applied for candidate genes with and without Daphnia sequence homologues in the database.

Tool	Status
Sequence database for designing gene specific primers	wFleaBase in progress
Cosmid genomic library	available
BAC genomic library	in progress

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