Meeting Abstract
By using molecular sequences of COI genes (barcoding) from chiton eggs or embryos collected as plankton and from adults collected in the field, we have identified time of spawning by chitons in southern Australia and temporal patterns of spawning in chitons in coastal Oregon. In Australia we obtained molecular sequences for 24 species of adults and 21 species of eggs/embryos, and we have matched eggs and adults for 10 species. These samples are the first broad molecular survey of the southern Australian chiton fauna and permit construction of hypotheses on phylogenetic relationships of species and radiations of taxa within this fauna. The linking of eggs and their hulls with species also expands our knowledge of how hull morphology is indicative of taxonomic grouping of chiton species. In Oregon, a winter season, daily time-series of coastal plankton, contained many embryos of chitons and several other invertebrate taxa during large wave events. We are investigating whether gamete release during large wave events results in localized retention of short-lived larvae.
