Population Genetics of Aiptasia in Florida in Provenance of Cultured Colonies

Aiptasia is a widely-distributed genus of sea anemone that is typically found growing on mangrove roots and other hard substrates. As it is fast growing, reproduces both sexually and asexually, and is symbiotic with photosynthetic algae like coral, it is used as a model organism to study cnidarian-algal symbiosis. Despite these facts, virtually nothing is known about the genetic structure of natural and lab-cultured strains of Aiptasia. Studying population genetics is an important method to understand evolutionary history and population differentiation in many species. We collected genetic data to determine population structure in Aiptasia at both a local and global scale and determine provenance of lab-strains. We started by collecting sea anemones from the genus Aiptasia from different sites around Southern Florida and Hawaiian waters. DNA was extracted from EtOH-preserved tissue and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify two commonly-used DNA barcoding loci (16s and COIII) for at least three individuals/sample locations. PCR products were cleaned, sequenced, and processed using Sequencher. Population genetics and diversity was analyzed using a variety of methods including phylogenetic and network-based approaches. Overall, we discover a surprising amount of genetic diversity and structure, even at very local scales. This research provides a new understanding of sea anemone populations around Floridian and Hawaiian waters and adds to our understanding of genetic differentiation in this important model species. 

For more information: vlitre@eckerd.edu

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