| Abstract Detail
MSA - Ecology/Pathology Ault, Kori K. [1], Wagner, R. Steven [1], Pinkart, Holly C. [1], Johnson, James E. [2]. Using DGGE To Assess Phylotype Diversity Of Organisms On Amphibian Embryos. Water molds, primarily in the genus Saprolegnia, have been implicated in large-scale mortality of amphibian embryos. Historically the water molds involved in these die-offs and used in studies of ecological factors that contribute to amphibian die-offs are left unidentified or identified as only one of three species (S. ferax, S. parasitica or S. diclina). However, recent work indicates that the diversity of organisms infecting amphibian embryos may be significantly higher than what was previously known. These recent studies also indicate that the morphology of Saprolegnia species is unreliable and not indicative of phylogeny; therefore, molecular-genetic methods must be employed to uncover the biodiversity of these organisms. We used the technique Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) of the Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 (ITS1) to assess the diversity of fungi and water mold species on amphibian eggs from a single pond in central Washington. Unlike traditional morphological methods of identification, which have proven ineffective, and isolation methods, which often recover only the fastest growing taxa, DGGE allows us to quickly capture more of the diversity of organisms associated with a single amphibian embryo. In this study, we found that most infected eggs contain multiple bands representing different phylotypes. In contrast to the three species traditionally identified, we also found as many as ten different phylotypes associated with infected embryos. This technique shows great promise in rapidly screening phylotype diversity on individual amphibian embryos.
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1 - Central Washington University, Biological Sciences, 400 E. University Way, Ellensburg, WA, 98926, USA
2 - Central Washington University, Biological Sciences, 400 E. University Way, Ellensburg, WA, 989826, USA
Keywords:
DGGE
Saprolegniasis
Saprolegnia.
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P2
Location: Event Tent/Cliff Lodge
Date: Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: P2EP046
Abstract ID:854 |
