Date of Award:
5-1-2005
Document Type:
Thesis
Degree Name:
Master of Science (MS)
Department:
Biology
Committee Chair(s)
Carol D. von Dohlen
Committee
Carol D. von Dohlen
Committee
Paul G. Wolf
Committee
Karen E. Mock
Abstract
Phragmatopoma californica (found in the Pacific Ocean) and P. caudata (found in the Atlantic Ocean) are intertidal, marine reef-building polychaete worms that have been found to produce viable larvae in a laboratory setting, but are otherwise geographically isolated. The first study was aimed at determining their specific status by analyzing the DNA sequences of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and the first internal transcribed spacer region (ITS-1). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that P. californica individuals shared no COI haplotypes or ITS-1 sequences with P. caudata individuals and formed well supported separate clades. The molecular data therefore supports the status of P. californica and P. caudata as separate species. A second study using principal components analysis and dendrograms produced from the Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms data from P. californica populations, along with analysis of the COI haplotypes, suggested that there was no detectable population structure correlated with geography in this species.
Recommended Citation
Drake, Carrie A., "Testing Species Disputes and Population Genetics in the Genus Phragmatopoma Using Molecular Characters" (2005). Biology. 702.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd_biology/702
Included in
Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .