Next generation sequencing reveals the hidden diversity of zooplankton assemblages.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Zooplankton play an important role in our oceans, in biogeochemical cycling and providing a food source for commercially important fish larvae. However, difficulties in correctly identifying zooplankton hinder our understanding of their roles in marine ecosystem functioning, and can prevent detection of long term changes in their community structure. The advent of massively parallel next generation sequencing technology allows DNA sequence data to be recovered directly from whole community samples. Here we assess the ability of such sequencing to quantify richness and diversity of a mixed zooplankton assemblage from a productive time series site in the Western English Channel.

Methodology/principle findings

Plankton net hauls (200 µm) were taken at the Western Cha

SUBMITTER: Lindeque PK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3820580 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature