Grabbert, S., J. Renz, H.J. Hirche & A. Bucklin. (2010). Species-specific PCR discrimination of species of the calanoid copepod Pseudocalanus, P. acuspes and P. elongatus, in the Baltic and North Seas. Hydrobiologia 652(1):289-297.
Species-specific PCR discrimination of species of the calanoid copepod Pseudocalanus, P. acuspes and P. elongatus, in the Baltic and North Seas.
Hydrobiologia
652(1):289-297.
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Two species of the calanoid copepod Pseudocalanus, P. acuspes and P. elongatus, have been reported from the Baltic and North Seas. Morphometric analysis based on Frost (Can J Zool 67:525–551, 1989) did not identify the species in samples collected during the German GLOBEC pro- gram; the majority of measurements fell outside reported ranges for Baltic and North Sea specimens. A multiplexed species-specific PCR (SS-PCR) proto- col was designed from a *700 bp sequence of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI), with primers designed to amplify regions of different sizes for the two species to allow detection by gel electro- phoresis. The accuracy and reliability of the multi- plexed SS-PCR reaction was confirmed by sequencing the mtCOI region. Preliminary SS-PCR analysis of geographic distributions of the two species indicated that P. acuspes occurred exclusively at sampling sites in the Baltic Sea, whereas P. elongatus was found in the southern North Sea and at one site in the Baltic. The SS-PCR protocol can be used for routine identification of the two species for studies of population, commu- nity and ecosystem dynamics.
