Efficacy of the 28S rDNA barcode in differentiating Caribbean octocorals

The ecological landscape of Caribbean reefs is rapidly changing as octocorals fill the void left by declining scleractinian populations. Effective molecular barcodes are necessary to accurately identify these octocorals and monitor this shifting ecosystem. We tested the efficacy of the 28S rDNA as a...

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Main Authors: Sloan Senofsky, Isabel Zamudio, Brittany Pan, Catherine McFadden
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2024-12-01
Series:Biodiversity Data Journal
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Online Access:https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/140454/download/pdf/
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author Sloan Senofsky
Isabel Zamudio
Brittany Pan
Catherine McFadden
author_facet Sloan Senofsky
Isabel Zamudio
Brittany Pan
Catherine McFadden
author_sort Sloan Senofsky
collection DOAJ
description The ecological landscape of Caribbean reefs is rapidly changing as octocorals fill the void left by declining scleractinian populations. Effective molecular barcodes are necessary to accurately identify these octocorals and monitor this shifting ecosystem. We tested the efficacy of the 28S rDNA as a barcode compared to the most commonly used mtMutS barcode on a collection of octocorals from across the Caribbean. Based on pairwise genetic distance values, 28S appeared to be more effective at differentiating species within the families Plexauridae and Gorgoniidae, while mtMutS was slightly more effective at distinguishing species of Pterogorgiidae. However, the standard 28S rDNA primers did not amplify all species as effectively as mtMutS, especially those belonging to the genus Eunicea. A shorter 28S barcode developed for eDNA applications distinguished species as effectively as the complete 28S barcode.
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institution Kabale University
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series Biodiversity Data Journal
spelling doaj-art-ca74db24f9f1474b9da092ca5620deee2024-12-29T08:31:54ZengPensoft PublishersBiodiversity Data Journal1314-28282024-12-011211310.3897/BDJ.12.e140454140454Efficacy of the 28S rDNA barcode in differentiating Caribbean octocoralsSloan Senofsky0Isabel Zamudio1Brittany Pan2Catherine McFadden3Harvey Mudd CollegeHarvey Mudd CollegeHarvey Mudd CollegeHarvey Mudd CollegeThe ecological landscape of Caribbean reefs is rapidly changing as octocorals fill the void left by declining scleractinian populations. Effective molecular barcodes are necessary to accurately identify these octocorals and monitor this shifting ecosystem. We tested the efficacy of the 28S rDNA as a barcode compared to the most commonly used mtMutS barcode on a collection of octocorals from across the Caribbean. Based on pairwise genetic distance values, 28S appeared to be more effective at differentiating species within the families Plexauridae and Gorgoniidae, while mtMutS was slightly more effective at distinguishing species of Pterogorgiidae. However, the standard 28S rDNA primers did not amplify all species as effectively as mtMutS, especially those belonging to the genus Eunicea. A shorter 28S barcode developed for eDNA applications distinguished species as effectively as the complete 28S barcode.https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/140454/download/pdf/gorgonianeDNAspecies delimitationmtMutS
spellingShingle Sloan Senofsky
Isabel Zamudio
Brittany Pan
Catherine McFadden
Efficacy of the 28S rDNA barcode in differentiating Caribbean octocorals
Biodiversity Data Journal
gorgonian
eDNA
species delimitation
mtMutS
title Efficacy of the 28S rDNA barcode in differentiating Caribbean octocorals
title_full Efficacy of the 28S rDNA barcode in differentiating Caribbean octocorals
title_fullStr Efficacy of the 28S rDNA barcode in differentiating Caribbean octocorals
title_full_unstemmed Efficacy of the 28S rDNA barcode in differentiating Caribbean octocorals
title_short Efficacy of the 28S rDNA barcode in differentiating Caribbean octocorals
title_sort efficacy of the 28s rdna barcode in differentiating caribbean octocorals
topic gorgonian
eDNA
species delimitation
mtMutS
url https://bdj.pensoft.net/article/140454/download/pdf/
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