A Gene-ius Showdown: Comparing Two Gene Regions to Study Coastal Microalgae Communities
Graphical abstract for the research paper.
I'm thrilled to share insights from a one of my published paper crafted with the fantastic team involved in my PhD journey. Let's dive into the marvellous world of eukaryotic marine microalgae!
Why do we care?
Microalgae play a vital role in maintaining the health of our oceans but due to their size it can be challenging to look at microalgae diversity and community composition. These microalgae come in many shapes and sizes and play different roles in the environment. So, how do we uncover the secrets of these micro-organisms and their communities? Through their DNA!
Eukaryotic microalgae high-level taxonomic groups used to look at overarching community trends.
How does that work?
Well, we can dive deep into microalgae DNA and look at different gene regions, creatively named things like the 18S V9 or 18S V4. These regions act as genetic signatures, helping us distinguish between different groups within microalgae communities. By examining the differences in the gene regions, we can get a detailed picture of community composition and diversity.
A look at eukaryotic microalgae DNA and where a gene-regions fits.
Our aim was to compare the effectiveness of two commonly used gene regions in assessing microalgae communities from coastal waters. We used the 18S V9 and 18S V4 gene regions and microscopy, with samples from a tropical and temperate site. And guess what we found?
Here's the scoop.
While both gene regions have been used to look at microalgae communities, the V9 region really steals the show in our study! It not only captures a broader spectrum of microalgae diversity but also provides a clearer picture of community composition. Although the V4 region offers insights into specific microalgae groups, like dinoflagellates, it falls short in presenting the bigger microalgae picture. That's where the V9 region shines, offering a comprehensive view aligned closely with microscopic observations.
In summary, using both gene regions enables us to unravel the intricate puzzle of marine microalgae communities. However, the V9 region does a great job in providing an overview of coastal microalgae communities in our study. If you want to read the full scientific paper, you can check it out here.
The team
Thanks to my supervisors Dr. Kirsty Smith (Cawthron Institute), Prof. Ken Ryan (Victoria University of Wellington) and co-authors; Dr. Hannah Hampton , Dr. John Pearman and Jacob Thomson-Laing for their work on this paper.
