Population Genetics of a Clonal Gorgonian: Research Fellowship in Marine Biotechnology

无性系生长是海洋无脊椎动物中一种常见的繁殖策略。尽管这种策略的普及意味着成功，无性繁殖和有性繁殖对无脊椎动物长期种群动态的相对贡献很少被量化。本研究将利用分子遗传学技术确定无性系柳柑（Plexaura sp.）的遗传多样性和群体结构，并尝试利用DNA指纹图谱对无性系柳柑群体的克隆结构进行分化。这些关于种群结构的数据将用于推断克隆繁殖对种群的长期影响。不同种群和物种的亲缘关系将通过检测DNA序列变异和线粒体DNA的限制性片段长度多态性来测量。将这些技术应用于柳橙，可以量化有性繁殖和无性繁殖的相对重要性；幼虫在珊瑚礁和种群之间扩散的程度；表型变异与基因型变异的关系；以及属的系统学。分子遗传技术方面的培训将使科夫罗斯博士具备将这些技术应用于其他海洋系统和生物海洋学中的其他问题的能力。

Clonal growth is a common reproductive strategy among sessile marine invertebrates. Although the pervasiveness of this strategy implies success, the relative contribution of asexual versus sexual reproduction to long term population dynamics in invertebrates has rarely been quantified. This fellowship research will pursue the use of molecular genetic techniques to determine the genetic diversity and population structure of the clonal gorgonian, Plexaura sp. Differentiation of genotypes will be attempted using DNA fingerprinting to characterize the clonal structure of the population. These data on population structure will be used to deduce the long term effects of clonal reproduction on the population. The relatedness of different populations and species will be measured by examining DNA sequence variation and restriction fragment length polymorphisms of mitochondrial DNA. The adaptation of these techniques for use with gorgonians will allow the quantification of the relative importance of sexual and asexual reproduction; the extent of larval dispersal between reefs and populations; the relationship between phenotypic and genotypic variation; and the systematics of the genus. The training in molecular genetic techniques will provide Dr. Coffroth with the ability to apply these techniques to other marine systems and other questions in biological oceanography.