Journal
MARINE BIOLOGY
Volume 159, Issue 5, Pages 1165-1171Publisher
SPRINGER HEIDELBERG
DOI: 10.1007/s00227-011-1877-2
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Funding
- National Science Foundation through Division of Ocean Sciences-Biological Oceanography [BIO-OCE 0961900]
- Division Of Ocean Sciences
- Directorate For Geosciences [0961900] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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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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