Gulf of Alaska | Lower Trophic Levels
Molecular characterization of the deep-sea zooplankton community from the Gulf of Alaska Seamount Province
Presenter: Jennifer Questel , jmquestel@alaska.edu, UAF Caitlin Smoot , casmoot@alaska.edu, University of Alaska Dhugal Lindsay , dhugal@jamstec.go.jp, JAMSTEC Allen Collins , COLLINSA@si.edu, Smithsonian Institution Russell Hopcroft , rrhopcroft@alaska.edu, University of Alaska Fairbanks, CFOS
Most data on zooplankton diversity in the North Pacific comes from collections obtained from the epipelagic zone, with occasional collections across the basin contributing mesopelagic data down to 1,000 m. In 2019, zooplankton communities were sampled from surface waters to the abyssal plane (4,500 m) around the Quinn and Giacomini seamounts that form the northwestern section of the Kodiak-Bowie Seamount Chain in the Gulf of Alaska. Depth- stratified zooplankton samples were collected with MultiNet and MOCNESS plankton sampling net systems in addition to video footage and specimen collections from a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). We report on the molecular characterization of these rarely sampled zooplankton communities using metabarcoding analyses targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and the nuclear 18S rRNA genes. As the accuracy and level of biodiversity detected from metabarcoding are dependent upon the quality of DNA sequence reference libraries, a considerable amount of effort was made to identify and voucher specimens collected during the expedition for DNA barcoding. Thus, we also report on the status of DNA barcoding for multiple genetic markers for over 1,200 organisms from depths beyond 1,000 m. These results represent the first recorded observations for many zooplankton species in the Gulf of Alaska, species new to science, and new DNA barcodes. Efforts from this work are helping to characterize deep-sea zooplankton communities and, overall, increase biodiversity estimates for the entire Gulf of Alaska ecosystem.
Alaska Marine Science Symposium 2023 12
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