Dissimilarity of species and forms of planktonic Neocalanus copepods using mitochondrial COI, 12S, nuclear ITS, and 28S gene sequences.
BACKGROUND
A total of six Neocalanus species inhabit the oceans of the world. Of these, three species plus form variants (N. cristatus, N. plumchrus, N. flemingeri large form, and N. flemingeri small form), which constitute a monophyletic group among Neocalanus copepods, occur in the Northwestern Pacific off Japan. In the present study, we have tried to discriminate the three species plus form variants of Neocalanus copepods based on sequences of four DNA marker regions.


RESULTS
Discrimination was performed based on the DNA sequence information from four genetic markers, including the mitochondrial COI, 12S, nuclear ITS, and 28S gene regions. Sequence dissimilarity was compared using both distance- and character-based approaches. As a result, all three species were confirmed to be distinct based on the four genetic marker regions. On the contrary, distinction of the form variants was only confirmed based on DNA sequence of the mitochondrial COI gene region.


CONCLUSIONS
Although discrimination was not successful for the form variants based on the mitochondrial 12S, nuclear ITS, and 28S genes, diagnostic nucleotide sequence characters were observed in their mitochondrial COI gene sequences. Therefore, these form variants are considered to be an important unit of evolution below the species level, and constitute a part of the Neocalanus biodiversity.
Machida
Ryuji J
RJ
Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. MachidaR@si.edu
Tsuda
Atsushi
A
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D044822:Biodiversity; D033342:Copepoda / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D050259:Genes, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010933:Plankton; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D012339:RNA, Ribosomal, 28S / Q000235:genetics
D005819:Genetic Markers; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D012339:RNA, Ribosomal, 28S; C075526:RNA, ribosomal, 12S