The Evolution of Pollution Resistance in the Atlantic Killifish
Subject Area
Biology
Description
Matthew Rock ’23
Major: Environmental Biology
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jeffrey Markert, Biology
Our research studies the population genetics of Atlantic Killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) to comprehend more about their resistance to pollution and their ability to flourish in polluted environments such as New Bedford Harbor. This ability is known to be a result of rapid evolutionary change, and by looking for genetic variations present in killifish populations, we attempt to identify loci that could explain the mechanisms of this rapid evolution event. The genetic markers used are called SNPs or Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, and represent a locus in the genome that has two possible sequences. To examine the SNPs, we collected 500+ fin clips from killifish present along the Rhode Island and Massachusetts coast at 11 different locations. The fin clips were turned into purified DNA so they could undergo genotyping using Fluidigm technology, which performs PCR on 96 different samples at 96 different SNP loci per plate, to complete a total of 64,512 PCR reactions over several plates. DNA barcoding was also used to confirm the identity of the killifish we collected at the various locations. Once all the samples were genotyped, we observed two patterns. The first being the expected pattern of genetic isolation by distance when all loci were examined as a group. The second pattern is that genotypes at some loci are consistent with selection at polluted locations around New Bedford Harbor. This comes together to allow us to develop new hypotheses about which loci may be involved in the rapid evolution that allowed for the Atlantic Killifish to survive in an unfavorable habitat.
Publisher
Providence College
Date
4-26-2022
Type
Presentation
Language
English
