Project: Population ecology of Salpa thompsoni based on molecular indicators

The Antarctic salp, Salpa thompsoni, is an increasingly important player in the vulnerable Antarctic Peninsula pelagic ecosystem. Observations of high abundance of Salpa thompsoni during the summer in the Southern Ocean suggest that this species is capable of rapid somatic and population growth, and frequently forms dense blooms under favorable environmental conditions. The proposed research will examine genome-wide patterns of gene expression, target gene expression levels, and patterns of population genetic diversity and structure of the target salp species. Our preliminary results and data analysis have provided a promising basis for transcriptomic studies of S. thompsoni in the Southern Ocean. The proposed next steps in our genomic/transcriptomic analysis of Salpa thompsoni are: 1) completion of a reference transcriptome as a basis for genome-wide analysis of gene expression; 2) whole transcriptome shotgun sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis to characterize gene expression in relation to individual characteristics and environmental conditions; 3) quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) characterization and validation of gene expression for 10-20 top differentially-expressed genes; and 4) detection of strand-specific allelic variation at SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphic) sites to analyze clonal diversity and population genetic diversity and structure. We hypothesize that: 1) deep analysis of the Salpa thompsoni transcriptome will reveal significant associations among selected set of differentially-expressed genes and critical life history stages and events (e.g., ontogenetic maturation, sexual reproduction, senescence) of the salp; and 2) the species will show variable levels of clonal diversity and significant genetic differentiation among salp populations in different regions of the Southern Ocean. Samples will be obtained from research cruises during 2011-2013 in diverse regions of the Southern Ocean; dedicated sample and data collection will be carried out during a cruise of the R/V LM GOULD (LMG11-10) to the Western Antarctic Peninsula region in November, 2011. The significance of this effort lies in new understanding of the molecular processes underlying the complex life history and population dynamics of S. thompsoni in relation to the Antarctic pelagic ecosystem and extreme and variable environmental conditions of the Southern Ocean.

Most of the data from this project are available from the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS), part of IEDA and is available at http://www.marine-geo.org/tools/search/Files.php?data_set_uid=18148.