Using Genetics to Identify Mussel Larvae on Host Fishes

Presenter

Mickala Diane Stratton

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Allison Roy, Department of Environmental Conservation, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A22, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 2 (A21-A40) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Freshwater mussels have a unique life history where they rely on host fish for metamorphosis of their larvae (glochidia) into juveniles. This reliance on host fishes makes sedentary mussels vulnerable– particularly if they specialize on specific fish that may become rare– making host fish abundance a primary conservation concern for imperiled freshwater mussels. To determine which host fishes are suitable for each species, glochidia can be identified on wild-caught fish hosts. Identifying mussel glochidia to species based on morphology can be challenging due to a lack of identifiable characteristics. Genetic methods for identifying mussel glochidia may provide a better approach than morphometrics. This project evaluated which gene regions were best for juvenile mussel species identification. Glochidia were extracted from excised fish gills and fins and stored in ethanol (95%). Using a DNA mini-prep kit, DNA will be extracted from the glochidia, and amplified via qPCR. We tested the efficacy of mitochondrial loci cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 CO1) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1), along with the 16S mitochondrial gene region. As CO1, ND1, and 16S are the most commonly observed gene regions in freshwater mussels, we expect to obtain clear results. We also expect that the 16s region will provide the most accurate data. These results will be used to inform what mussels are using which fish host species.

Keywords

Environmental Conservation, Natural Resource Conservation, Genomics, Unionida

Research Area

Environment Effects on Ecosystems

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