US-Pakistan Cooperative Research: Population Genetics of Benthosema Pterotum, A Mesopelagic Fish from the Arabian Sea

该奖项是对加州大学圣克鲁斯分校生物系的Giacomo Bernardi博士和巴基斯坦卡拉奇国家海洋研究所海洋学系Shahid Amjad博士的联合研究项目的支持。他们计划研究翼状底栖鱼的种群遗传学，这是一种来自阿拉伯海的中上层鱼类。阿拉伯海具有复杂的海洋学，这导致了高生物生产力。在开阔海域，最上层的营养层是海洋哺乳动物等海洋哺乳动物和大型鱼类如金枪鱼和鲱鱼。在阿拉伯海西北部和邻近的阿曼湾，最高营养层是中上层鱼类。这些都是小型的中水物种，如灯笼鱼(Myctophidae)、哈切鱼(Sternoptychidae)和碧鱼(Gonostomatidae)。据报道，数量最多的主要物种是翼边丝虫灯笼鱼。这些垃圾将在从阿曼湾到中部阿拉伯海的巴基斯坦海岸附近进行收集。具体地说，研究人员计划调查阿曼湾和阿拉伯海种群之间的遗传差异，这些种群位于巴基斯坦海岸外(规模较小)。他们将提取DNA，对核内含子和线粒体基因进行扩增和测序，以建立翼状芽孢杆菌的种群结构模式。抽样方案将有大约500人，以具有足够的统计有效性。范围：该奖项将允许由PI领导的美国团队与来自NIO的巴基斯坦团队在一个具有重大科学意义的研究项目上进行合作。PIS将与NIO的年轻巴基斯坦科学家密切合作，培训他们进行鱼类调查的最佳方法并捕获特定物种。然后，这些科学家将进行大部分实地考察工作。他们还将接受新的分子技术方面的培训。巴基斯坦的海洋科学正处于发展阶段，这种合作将对此有很大帮助。该项目将对巴基斯坦的NIO和渔业部门产生积极影响。所有靠近印度洋西北部的国家都想进行商业采摘。增进对其种群遗传学的了解，以及从这项试点研究中获得的其他知识，将有助于该地区的科学家利用这一未开发的渔业资源。

0218248BernardiDescription: This award is for support of a joint research project between Dr. Giacomo Bernardi, Biology Department, University of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California and Dr. Shahid Amjad, Department of Oceanography, The National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Karachi, Pakistan. They plan to study the population genetics of Benthosema pterotum, a mesopelagic fish from the Arabian Sea. The Arabian Sea has complex oceanography, which results in high biological productivity. In the open ocean, the topmost trophic level is represented by nekton such as marine mammals and large fishes such as tunas and mackerel. In the northwest Arabian Sea and adjacent Gulf of Oman, the topmost trophic level is represented by mesopelagic fishes. These are small, midwater species such as Lanternfishes (Myctophidae), Hatchetfishes (Sternoptychidae), and Bristlemouths (Gonostomatidae). The main species reported in abundance is the lanternfish Benthosema pterotum. This will be collected off the coast of Pakistan from the Gulf of Oman to the Central Arabian Sea. Specifically, the investigators plan to investigate the genetic differences between Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea populations of B. pterotum off the coast of Pakistan (smaller-scale). They will extract DNA, PCR amplify and sequence nuclear intron, and mitochondrial loci to establish patterns of population structure in B. pterotum. The sampling protocol will have approximately 500 individuals to have enough statistical validity. Scope: This award will allow a US team headed by the PI to collaborate with a Pakistani team from the NIO in a research project of significant scientific interest. The PIs will be working closely with young Pakistani scientists at NIO to train them for the optimum methods for fish surveys and to catch the specific species. These scientists will then carry out most of the fieldwork. They will also be trained in the new molecular techniques. Pakistan's ocean science is at a stage of development where this collaboration will greatly help. This project will have a positive impact on NIO and the fisheries departments in Pakistan. All countries bordering the northwestern Indian Ocean would like to harvest B. pterotum commercially. Improved understanding of its population genetics, and other knowledge that will follow from this pilot study, will help scientists in the region utilize this unexploited fishery resouce.