Meeting Abstract
P3.30 Wednesday, Jan. 6 Detection of non-indigenous species in Galveston Bay, TX by DNA barcoding of zooplankton SCHULZE, Anja*; ODUM, Lerin; Texas A&M University at Galveston; Texas A&M University at Galveston schulzea@tamug.edu
The Houston Ship Channel (HSC) connects the Port of Houston to the Gulf of Mexico, traversing a range of salinities in Galveston Bay. The HSC experiences some of the highest ship traffic in the US, potentially facilitating the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS). Detection of benthic NIS can require extensive surveys, which may be disruptive to the environment. However, most benthic invertebrate species that have a tendency to become established in new habitats produce planktonic larvae. We are using a DNA barcoding approach to examine zooplankton for the presence of NIS, including both the larvae of benthic species and holoplanktonic species. We collect monthly plankton samples at six stations in Galveston Bay with different distances to the HSC and different salinities. Each sample results from the filtration of 24 l of water. Any meroplanktonic or holoplanktonic invertebrates are sorted microscopically to morphotypes and processed for sequencing of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI), the most commonly used barcoding sequence. The morphotypes are photographically documented. In addition, we take biweekly shore-based plankton samples which are evaluated qualitatively at one station near the entrance of the HSC to the Gulf of Mexico. Each generated sequence is submitted to a GenBank BLAST search. If a close match is found, the geographic distribution of the respective species is researched in the literature and compared to a list of 37 target species that could potentially become invasive in Galveston Bay. Our data show the presence of several species that have previously been reported from the Gulf of Mexico but not from Galveston Bay and others that have not previously been reported from the Gulf of Mexico. Whenever possible, we are aiming to confirm the species identities by sequencing samples of adults with confirmed identifications.
