Summer Research Part II

Pomona undergrad Thomas Byrne (18') prepping octocoral DNA for PCR. Thanks for your hard work this summer, Thomas!

For the past several weeks we have been busy preparing deep-sea octocorals for multi-locus DNA Barcoding from our recent RV Celtic Explorer voyage to Whittard Canyon. Initial identification of samples, based on morphology, indicates that the octocorals contributing to the diversity within Whittard Canyon are: Isididae, Plexauridae, Primnoidae, Acanthogorgiidae, Alcyoniidae, Chrysogorgiidae, Paragorgiidae, Clavulariidae, and Pennatulacea. So far, we have extracted high quality DNA from each sample and have amplified both the mtMutS and COI markers. We have recently begun amplifying a third marker, nuclear 28s rDNA. Additionally, we are amplifying the IGR4 region of the Isididae samples in order to further delineate taxonomic relationships. Once amplified, our samples will be sent off for sequencing; these sequences will then be edited and aligned in order to construct preliminary phylogenetic trees. Our ultimate goal with these markers is to better understand the species richness of Octocorallia in Whittard Canyon. Furthermore, we will be calculating genetic distances for between our samples and compare these to previously studied specimens from around the world in order to aid in our species identification and estimates of species richness. We hope to have our analyses completed in the coming few weeks!

Thomas Byrne, Pomona College '18

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