Eyes Under Puget Sound
It's alive!
We
are out on the waters of Puget Sound this month for our annual sediment quality
survey.
As the boat work winds down each day and we return to the dock, live samples are transported back to the lab where a new frenzy of activity begins! What is that, you ask? Let us tell you about DNA barcoding in the benthic lab!
As the boat work winds down each day and we return to the dock, live samples are transported back to the lab where a new frenzy of activity begins! What is that, you ask? Let us tell you about DNA barcoding in the benthic lab!
Wave of the future
DNA barcoding is a taxonomic method that
uses part of a specific gene or genes to identify an organism to its species. The
emerging science of DNA barcoding may one day change the way taxonomists like
us identify animals … or at least make our jobs a little easier. Each species has
a unique DNA sequence that can be read in a tiny piece of tissue, kind of like
scanning barcodes at the grocery store. DNA barcoding still has limitations for
everyday use, but when combined with the traditional methods of identifying
critters with books and microscopes, it can be a powerful tool for cataloguing
biodiversity, assigning names to unknown specimens, and discovering new
species.
A fresh perspective
Calocarides
spinulicauda, a marine shrimp freshly collected from Puget Sound
sediments.
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DNA
barcoding requires tissue from fresh animals, so as soon as our field crew
collects critters from Puget Sound sediments, we immediately rush them back to
the lab to identify, photograph, and collect tissue samples from each one. It’s
hard work that often goes late into the night, but our reward is getting to see
our Puget Sound benthic critters alive and full of color … and knowing that they
will be a part of some cutting-edge genomic research.
Partners in grime
Dr.
Gustav Paulay from Friday Harbor Marine Laboratories and Curator of Mollusca at
the Florida Museum of Natural
History has joined us to help out with this project, and we are extremely
grateful for his expertise. The
samples we collect are cataloged and sent to the Smithsonian National Museum of
Natural History for the “Invertebrate Genomics Initiative,” part of the larger Global Genome Initiative. We collaborate with
other marine labs with the goal of sequencing DNA from benthic invertebrates that
live along the west coast of North America, from Southern California to Alaska.
As the largest sediment monitoring program in Puget Sound, our team gets to
represent Washington in this effort by providing plenty of valuable
mud-dwelling critters to sequence!
Tiny live animals from sediment
samples get sorted into dishes ...
... the animals are then photographed
by Dr. Paulay...
... and then subsampled for DNA tissue by Maggie Dutch.
Tiny live animals from sediment
samples get sorted into dishes ...
samples get sorted into dishes ...
... the animals are then photographed
by Dr. Paulay...
by Dr. Paulay...
Tracking change
Identifying organisms has grown in importance as scientists monitor the biological effects of both local human impacts as well as global climate change. The DNA barcode information and photographs of the species we collect will be added to a global library as a resource for researchers around the world.
We are excited about the opportunity to contribute to the body of DNA knowledge for our Puget Sound benthic invertebrates, and to collaborate with other scientists to better track regional biodiversity over time!
We are excited about the opportunity to contribute to the body of DNA knowledge for our Puget Sound benthic invertebrates, and to collaborate with other scientists to better track regional biodiversity over time!
By: Dany Burgess & Angela Eagleston, Environmental Assessment Program
Our
benthic taxonomists,
Dany and Angela, are scientists who identify and count the benthic
(sediment-dwelling) organisms in our samples as part of our Marine
Sediment Monitoring Program. We are tracking the numbers and types
of species we see in order to understand the health of Puget Sound and to
detect any changes over time. Can't get enough benthos? See photos from our Eyes
Under Puget Sound collection on Flickr.
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