Líffræðifélag Íslands
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2015
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster V4
Ragnhildur Gudmundsdóttir (1), Vésteinn Snæbjarnarson (1), Viggó Marteinsson (2), Bjarni K. Kristjánsson (3), Christophe Douady (4), Snæbjörn Pálsson (1)
Háskóli Íslands
Kynnir / Presenter: Ragnhildur Gudmundsdóttir
Tengiliður / Corresponding author: Ragnhildur Gudmundsdóttir (rag41@hi.is)
Two subterranean freshwater amphipod species were recently discovered in Iceland, Crangonyx islandicus and Crymostygious thingvallensis. These species are found within the volcanic active zone in the groundwater system and genetic patterns within C. islandicus have shown that it has survived repeated glaciations in Iceland and that it has diverged into cryptic species. Little is known of the ecosystem these amphipods inhabit but their existence suggests a system based on chemosynthesis. The aim of this study is to explore the habitat of C. islandicus, estimate the size and structure of its population along with the habitat quality and also to study the adaptation and degeneration of the genes by comparison with a related surface dwelling species (C.pseudogracilis). The initial results suggests that C. islandicus is feeding mainly on basalt eating bacteria and at least two species of ciliates are found to coexist with the amphipods. RadSeq sequences have given millions of short DNA sequences which are currently analysed and the transcriptome of C. islandicus and C. pseudogracilis has been assmbled, and gave about 80 000 ORF.