Collaborative Research: Genetic connectivity and biogeographic patterns of Antarctic benthic invertebrates

这项研究将探索南极海洋底栖无脊椎动物的遗传学、多样性和生物地理学，试图推翻被广泛接受的观点，即底栖动物并不构成一个庞大的、泛种群。调查人员将从西南极洲取样不足的地区取样成虫和幼虫，与现有的样本相结合，将提供南大洋西半球的重要覆盖范围。目的是：1)利用高分辨率遗传标记评估南极西部底栖无脊椎动物物种的遗传连通性（或隔离性）程度。2)开始探索贝林豪森、阿蒙森和罗斯海底栖陆架无脊椎动物浮游生物幼虫的空间和深度分布。3)继续开发海洋南极遗传清单（MAGI），通过DNA条形码将幼虫和成虫形式联系起来。更广泛的影响包括传统形式的培训（博士后、研究生、本科生研究经历）和对K-12群体的讲座。

The research will explore the genetics, diversity, and biogeography of Antarctic marine benthic invertebrates, seeking to overturn the widely accepted suggestion that benthic fauna do not constitute a large, panmictic population. The investigators will sample adults and larvae from undersampled regions of West Antarctica that, combined with existing samples, will provide significant coverage of the western hemisphere of the Southern Ocean. The objectives are: 1) To assess the degree of genetic connectivity (or isolation) of benthic invertebrate species in the Western Antarctic using high-resolution genetic markers. 2) To begin exploring planktonic larvae spatial and bathymetric distributions for benthic shelf invertebrates in the Bellinghausen, Amundsen and Ross Seas. 3) To continue to develop a Marine Antarctic Genetic Inventory (MAGI) that relates larval and adult forms via DNA barcoding. Broader impacts include traditional forms of training (postdocs, graduate studentships, undergraduate research experiences) and lectures to K-12 groups.