A newly developed genotyping “chip” allows researchers to genetically identify corals and the symbiotic algae that live within the coral’s cells. This new tool is a vital step for establishing and maintaining genetic diversity in reef restoration efforts.
描述新芯片的论文出现在journalScientific Reports.
“Corals around the world are endangered due to warming oceans,” said Iliana Baums, professor of biology at Penn State and leader of the research team. “We designed this genotyping chip to help restoration and conservation efforts. There is very little overhead needed to use the chip, so small restoration operations can access coral genetic identification to help them maximize reef health by ensuring coral populations are genetically diverse.”
该芯片（也称为微阵列）使用30,000多个单核苷酸多态性（SNP） - 珊瑚基因组中的位置，在该位置在每个位置，DNA字母中的单个字母在Acropoporid家族的不同珊瑚中可能会变化。珊瑚的尖齿家族含有任何珊瑚家族的不同物种数量最多，在加勒比海和太平洋中很常见。该芯片是使用加勒比海珊瑚设计的，但也可以用于分析太平洋物种，并允许研究人员识别居住在珊瑚细胞中的共生藻类。
珊瑚s can reproduce asexually by fragmentation, so Caribbean reefs are often dominated by corals that all can be traced back to a single origin and are therefore genetically nearly identical — researchers refer to these related corals as a “genet.” The chip is sensitive enough to allow researchers to reliably distinguish members of different genets within the same coral species.
“One way to increase genetic diversity in a reef is to make sure it is built by individuals of more than one genet,” said Baums. “Because all of the corals on a reef could be members of the same genet, it is vital to have a reliable way to identify them and our chip provides this to researchers in the field.”[Eureka Alert]
