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

克隆生长是一种常见的繁殖策略， 固着的海洋无脊椎动物。 虽然这种普遍性 策略意味着成功，无性繁殖的相对贡献 与有性生殖相比， 无脊椎动物很少被量化。 该研究金基金 研究将采用分子遗传技术， 确定遗传多样性和人口结构的 克隆柳珊瑚，丛藻属物种。基因型分化将 尝试使用DNA指纹来表征克隆 人口结构。 这些关于人口结构的数据 将被用来推断克隆的长期影响， 人口的繁殖。 不同的相关性 人口和物种将通过检测DNA 序列变异和限制性片段长度多态性 线粒体DNA 将这些技术应用于柳珊瑚 将允许量化的相对重要性， 有性和无性生殖;幼虫扩散的程度 珊瑚礁和种群之间的关系; 表型和基因型变异;以及 属 分子遗传技术的培训将提供 Coffroth博士有能力将这些技术应用于其他 海洋系统和其他生物海洋学问题。

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.