Can environmental DNA to be used to study adaptive diversification in aquatic systems? – A test case using the Lake Masoko Astatotilapia calliptera study system

Miss Zifang Liu1

1University Of Bristol, Bristol, UK

Abstract:

Aquatic environmental DNA (eDNA) has, to date, largely been used to establish the identity and abundance of organisms in the local environment. However, there is growing interest in the potential for eDNA to provide fine-scale population-genetic information, including in alleles relevant to divergent adaptation and speciation. We are investigating this concept using the crater Lake Masoko study system in Tanzania, where two ecomorphs of the cichlid fish Astatotilapia calliptera are undergoing ecological speciation along a depth cline. We have collected eDNA samples from known depths, and are working to quantify allele frequencies at loci known to be diverging between the deep benthic and shallow littoral fish populations. Our preliminary data show that target nuclear variants can be detected using eDNA, and that it is possible to determine their allele frequencies. It is possible that in the future eDNA-based approaches may become sufficiently sensitive to detect multiple genomic variants of interest, potentially furthering our understanding of adaptive diversification in multiple aquatic systems.


Biography:

Biography to come

Date

Mar 21 - 23 2022
Expired!