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Macrogeographic Genetic Structure In Acanthephyra Curtirostris (Oplophoridae), John Russell Scarbrough

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The vast oceanic living space on our planet is occupied by zooplankton species long assumed to be widespread and genetically undifferentiated across their species range. Recently, however, data from sensitive DNA-based molecular markers has shown that many cryptic species exist in the sea and that marine zooplankton species may be more genetically structured than previously thought. In the oceanic environment, the deep-sea appears to be particularly homogeneous with few observable barriers to gene flow and it is also less studied. DNA-based investigations of genetic diversity in the deep-sea are needed to help determine the spatial scale over which species and …