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Identification of calanoid copepod prey species via molecular detection of carbon fixation genes

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Abstract

Zooplankton and their phytoplankton prey form the basis of the marine food web, yet historically it has been difficult to discern species-specific trophic interactions. Molecular techniques provide opportunities to obtain taxonomic data where the traditional methodologies for gut content analysis lack resolution. The large subunit gene of RubisC/O, rbcL, was utilized as a molecular marker for the identification of prey species in calanoid copepods. Clone libraries were generated from DNA extracted from seawater and whole copepods during a transect cruise on the northern Gulf of Mexico shelf. Sequence data analysis provided evidence of diatoms, nanoplankton-sized chlorophytes, and cyanobacteria in DNA extracted from whole copepods. These data demonstrate that rbcL can be a useful marker for the identification of copepod phytoplankton prey. Combining the described approach with quantitative techniques such as quantitative PCR will provide opportunities for the assessment of species-specific predator–prey interactions.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. M. J. Dagg’s laboratory (LUMCON) for help with zooplankton collection and use of microscopes. We would also like to thank Dr. N. Rabalais (LUMCON) for ship time and Dr. J. Pinckney (University of South Carolina) for help with HPLC analysis. The work was funded by the National Science Foundation through a grant from the Division of Ocean Sciences—Biological Oceanography (Grant # BIO-OCE 0961900).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Microbiology, The University of Oklahoma, George Lynn Cross Hall, 770 Van Vleet Oval, Norman, OK, 73019, USA

    Wilford B. Boling & Boris Wawrik

  2. DeFelice Marine Center, Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, 8124 Highway 56, Chauvin, LA, 70344, USA

    Geoff A. Sinclair

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  1. Wilford B. Boling
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  2. Geoff A. Sinclair
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Correspondence to Boris Wawrik.

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Communicated by C. Riginos.

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Boling, W.B., Sinclair, G.A. & Wawrik, B. Identification of calanoid copepod prey species via molecular detection of carbon fixation genes. Mar Biol 159, 1165–1171 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1877-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1877-2

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