Project Advisor(s) (Students Only)
Kelsey Arkle, Kimberly Murphy
Presentation Type (All Applicants)
Poster Presentation
Disciplines (All Applicants)
Biodiversity | Geology | Paleobiology
Description, Abstract, or Artist's Statement
Taxonomic biodiversity, measured by counting the number of species present in a given area, is the most common method of capturing ecosystem biodiversity in recent and ancient environments. While this method is widely accepted, it is limited by poor preservation and identification of many individuals, making it impossible to include every species within an ecosystem and resulting in the loss of some diversity information. To address this issue, we measured the genetic biodiversity (in which species are determined based on sequencing of their DNA) of shallow marine ecosystems by extracting and sequencing the 18S ribosomal gene from bulk carbonate sediment samples taken from several locations around the Caribbean island of Grand Cayman. By comparing genetic and taxonomic biodiversity, we hope to provide a more reliable, or at least a supplementary, measure of molluscan biodiversity in this ecosystem.
Sediment samples were collected from three shallow (~8-10-ft depth) marine locations around Grand Cayman. These sediments were mostly composed of calcium carbonate from shell fragments of bivalves, gastropods, and other calcareous macroorganisms. Molluscan taxonomic diversity was measured by identifying individual shells. DNA was extracted using the QIAquick PCR Purification kit by QIAgen, and we attempted to amplify a hypervariable ~110 base pair fragment of the 18S rRNA gene using a high-fidelity PCR master mix. We determined that either our PCR protocol needed to be adjusted, or we did not have any DNA from the target region tested, as PCR failed to produce results.
Augustana Digital Commons Citation
Judge, Lauren. "Genetic Sequencing for Measuring Biodiversity in Recent and Ancient Marine Sediments" (2019). Celebration of Learning.
https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/celebrationoflearning/2019/posters/2
Genetic Sequencing for Measuring Biodiversity in Recent and Ancient Marine Sediments
Taxonomic biodiversity, measured by counting the number of species present in a given area, is the most common method of capturing ecosystem biodiversity in recent and ancient environments. While this method is widely accepted, it is limited by poor preservation and identification of many individuals, making it impossible to include every species within an ecosystem and resulting in the loss of some diversity information. To address this issue, we measured the genetic biodiversity (in which species are determined based on sequencing of their DNA) of shallow marine ecosystems by extracting and sequencing the 18S ribosomal gene from bulk carbonate sediment samples taken from several locations around the Caribbean island of Grand Cayman. By comparing genetic and taxonomic biodiversity, we hope to provide a more reliable, or at least a supplementary, measure of molluscan biodiversity in this ecosystem.
Sediment samples were collected from three shallow (~8-10-ft depth) marine locations around Grand Cayman. These sediments were mostly composed of calcium carbonate from shell fragments of bivalves, gastropods, and other calcareous macroorganisms. Molluscan taxonomic diversity was measured by identifying individual shells. DNA was extracted using the QIAquick PCR Purification kit by QIAgen, and we attempted to amplify a hypervariable ~110 base pair fragment of the 18S rRNA gene using a high-fidelity PCR master mix. We determined that either our PCR protocol needed to be adjusted, or we did not have any DNA from the target region tested, as PCR failed to produce results.
Comments
Senior Inquiry research