Development and testing of an 18S rRNA phylogenetic microarray for marine sediments.

There is increasing interest in finding new, more efficient methods for routine monitoring of anthropogenic effects on benthic biodiversity and ecosystems. A range of molecular methods have been developed for assessing biodiversity the last decades. Particularly interesting are microarrays targeting phylogenetic marker genes, such as the small subunit of ribosomal RNA in eukaryotes (18S rRNA).

Characterization of the 18S rRNA gene for designing universal eukaryote specific primers.

High throughput sequencing technology has great promise for biodiversity studies. However, an underlying assumption is that the primers used in these studies are universal for the prokaryotic or eukaryotic groups of interest. Full primer universality is difficult or impossible to achieve and studies using different primer sets make biodiversity comparisons problematic.

A molecular gut content study of Themisto abyssorum (Amphipoda) from Arctic hydrothermal vent and cold seep systems.

The use of DNA as a marker for prey inside the gut of predators has been instrumental in further understanding of known and unknown interactions. Molecular approaches are in particular useful in unavailable environments like the deep sea. Trophic interactions in the deep sea are difficult to observe in situ, correct deep-sea experimental laboratory conditions are difficult to obtain, animals rarely survive the sampling, or the study organisms feed during the sampling due to long hauls.