Identifying Genetic Clades and Testing for Reproductive Isolation in Subspecies of Acartia tonsa
Conference Year
January 2022
Abstract
The planet is experiencing climate change at an alarming rate and the ocean, Earth’s largest ecosystem, is an imperative place to focus scientific investigation. Acartia tonsa are a species of copepod that are a prime candidate for research due to their huge biomass and therefore concordant impact on marine ecosystems. The recent discovery of multiple subspecies of A. tonsa sparks the question of whether or not they can crossbreed to produce viable offspring. My research has been focused on determining their level of reproductive isolation, while also developing a relatively inexpensive and expedient form of clade identification from individual copepods.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Melissa Pespeni
Graduate Student Mentors
Alison Hall
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Second Student College
Patrick Leahy Honors College
Program/Major
Biology
Primary Research Category
Biological Sciences
Identifying Genetic Clades and Testing for Reproductive Isolation in Subspecies of Acartia tonsa
The planet is experiencing climate change at an alarming rate and the ocean, Earth’s largest ecosystem, is an imperative place to focus scientific investigation. Acartia tonsa are a species of copepod that are a prime candidate for research due to their huge biomass and therefore concordant impact on marine ecosystems. The recent discovery of multiple subspecies of A. tonsa sparks the question of whether or not they can crossbreed to produce viable offspring. My research has been focused on determining their level of reproductive isolation, while also developing a relatively inexpensive and expedient form of clade identification from individual copepods.