Collaborative Research: Can Raman spectroscopy be used as a high-accuracy method to identify bivalve larvae?

双壳类幼虫在物种水平上的鉴定是出了名的困难和耗时，而一种快速和准确的鉴定方法将使对双壳类招募过程的一整类新的生态实地研究成为可能。拉曼光谱使用聚焦的激光来测量双壳类贝壳中的碳酸钙和有机颜料分子，并可能根据阀门的组成来识别物种。使用单波长拉曼光谱，PI能够以100%的准确率将东方牡蛎幼虫与其他六种双壳类区分开来，而其他三种双壳类的识别准确率超过80%。PIS建议购买一台3波长共焦拉曼显微镜，以提高分辨率并测试拉曼光谱在双壳类幼虫鉴定中的广泛应用效果。他们将收集和分析20种双壳类幼虫的拉曼光谱，以确定是否存在可靠的物种特定差异，并将探索改进光谱结果分析的方法。研究人员计划从他们的研究中创建一个开放的光谱数据数据库，将提供一个关于他们的方法的研讨会，并将在特定条件下将设备提供给社区使用。

Bivalve larvae are notoriously difficult and time-consuming to identify to species level, and a method for rapid and accurate identification would enable an entire class of new ecological field studies of bivalve recruitment processes. Raman spectroscopy uses a focused laser beam to measure the calcium carbonate and organic pigment molecules in bivalve shells and potentially allows identification of species based on the composition of the valves. Using single wavelength Raman spectroscopy, the PIs were able to distinguish Eastern oyster larvae from six other bivalve species with 100% accuracy, while three other species had identification accuracies greater than 80%. The PIs propose to purchase a 3-wavelength confocal Raman Microscope to improve discrimination and test the efficacy of Raman spectroscopy for widespread application in bivalve larval identification. They will collect and analyze Raman spectra on larvae of 20 bivalve species to determine if reliable species-specific differences exist, and will explore methods to improve analysis of spectral results. The investigators plan to create an open database of spectral data from their studies, will offer a workshop on their methods, and will make the equipment available to the community under specified conditions for use.