Kelp Gametophyte Culturing and Genetic Analysis Techniques for Conservation and Breeding
Mentor 1
Filipe Alberto
Mentor 2
Gabriel Montecinos
Mentor 3
Rachael Wade
Start Date
1-5-2020 12:00 AM
Description
Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) is experiencing decreases in population size and local extinction events in the Puget Sound (PS) area of Washington state due to environmental and anthropogenic stressors. This decrease in resistance and abundance is concerning in PS where Bull Kelp is the primary canopy-forming species in the coastal environment; N. luetkeana provides vital habitat to marine fishes and invertebrates, cycles nutrients, and is an important carbon sink. Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF) works on a multitude of restoration projects, including Bull Kelp. Because of this potential loss of an ecological engineer, PSRF is interested in incorporating both classic phenotype and genotype information in their restoration efforts, particularly in terms of both intra- and interspecific hybrids; hybridization is desirable because it may result in heterosis, or increased fitness and performance afforded by introduction of novel alleles. PSRF sent UWM Alberto Lab 7-20 sporophylls from 20 populations from within PS, providing the source material to create a long-term germplasm bank of 1,600 Bull Kelp gametophytes. Gametophytes from three insular PS populations were cultured using standard protocols developed for Giant Kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), pooled, and used to inoculate seed string that will ultimately be outplanted in PS in spring 2020. Low survival and sporophyte production suggested that ideal conditions for maintenance, culture, and crossing of bull kelp gametophytes are different from giant kelp and warrants additional study. Bull and giant kelp gametophytes were reciprocally crossed, produced what appeared to be hybrids, but further work is needed to molecularly confirm the sporophytes were not parthenogenetic. Continued conservation and restoration efforts to test the viability of hybridization for conservation and restoration of Bull Kelp will protect the integrity coastal environments in PS, including aquaculture, fisheries, and the survival of native marine mammals.
Kelp Gametophyte Culturing and Genetic Analysis Techniques for Conservation and Breeding
Bull Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) is experiencing decreases in population size and local extinction events in the Puget Sound (PS) area of Washington state due to environmental and anthropogenic stressors. This decrease in resistance and abundance is concerning in PS where Bull Kelp is the primary canopy-forming species in the coastal environment; N. luetkeana provides vital habitat to marine fishes and invertebrates, cycles nutrients, and is an important carbon sink. Puget Sound Restoration Fund (PSRF) works on a multitude of restoration projects, including Bull Kelp. Because of this potential loss of an ecological engineer, PSRF is interested in incorporating both classic phenotype and genotype information in their restoration efforts, particularly in terms of both intra- and interspecific hybrids; hybridization is desirable because it may result in heterosis, or increased fitness and performance afforded by introduction of novel alleles. PSRF sent UWM Alberto Lab 7-20 sporophylls from 20 populations from within PS, providing the source material to create a long-term germplasm bank of 1,600 Bull Kelp gametophytes. Gametophytes from three insular PS populations were cultured using standard protocols developed for Giant Kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), pooled, and used to inoculate seed string that will ultimately be outplanted in PS in spring 2020. Low survival and sporophyte production suggested that ideal conditions for maintenance, culture, and crossing of bull kelp gametophytes are different from giant kelp and warrants additional study. Bull and giant kelp gametophytes were reciprocally crossed, produced what appeared to be hybrids, but further work is needed to molecularly confirm the sporophytes were not parthenogenetic. Continued conservation and restoration efforts to test the viability of hybridization for conservation and restoration of Bull Kelp will protect the integrity coastal environments in PS, including aquaculture, fisheries, and the survival of native marine mammals.
