Internship in Evolutionary Genetics “Genetic survey of populations of the Mediterranean yellow gorgon [Eunicella cavolinii (Koch, 1887)]: connectivity and local adaptation processes in heterogeneous environment” @ Mediterranean Institute of Marine and terrestrial Biodiversity and Ecology

Resume created on DoYouBuzz

Experiences

Tools & skills: DNA extraction, PCR, genotyping, phenotyping ; microsatellite data analyses, genetic diversity, null alleles frequency, Hardy Weinberg, differentiation (FST, FIS, etc), Fisher's test, isolation by the distance, etc. Ssoftware : R, MicroCheker, Genepop, Structure, FreeNa, Genetix, IBDWebService.

Detailed Description

The heat waves of summers 1999 and 2003 have led to mass mortality events for various marine metazoans. In order to estimate the impact of such disturbances on these populations it is necessary to study their adaptaive and recolonization abilities.
The main objective of this study was to analyze the genetic structure of the Mediterranean yellow gorgonian, Eunicella cavolinii, in order to determine its dispersal abilities. Five microsatellite markers were studied on samples of 13 populations of the North Western Mediterranean, including different depths. Our main results indicate (1) a generalized pair-wise differentiation at relatively short distance, (2) trelatively weak genetic structure and diversity when compared with other octocorals, (3) no differentiation according to depth in the same site. The evolutionary consequences of these results are discussed in the contaxt of evolution of adaptative abilities. This analysis is part of a study on the adaptive processes in this species including the phenotypic variability in response to thermal stress and the levels of expression of candidate genes.

Company Description

Work placement mentor: Didier Aurelle

Pachka HAMMAMI