Identification of bivalve larvae from a time series study in Adventfjorden, Svalbard, using molecular tools.

Bivalvia have planktonic life-stages (meroplanktonic larvae). Several of them exhibit strong seasonality and can be quite numerous during peak occurrence. Bivalvia larvae are especially difficult to identify, since they exhibit very few or very small morp hological differences before they settle down as adults. Molecular methods might be a tool that enables the identification to genus and maybe even to species level. This project is a master project. We have per today not formally agreed with anyone to ta ke on this project, but had talks with interested students. The project will be tightly coupled to a PhD-project at UNIS (Eike Stübner), that investigates seasonal variation and trophical interactions in meroplanktonic organisms. The master projects will try to identify bivalve larvae (and other organisms with mass occurences) from a time series to genus or species level using molecular tools (barcoding) Adventfjorden, Svalbard. Organisms will be picked out of samples from a time series taken in 2012 (AF G project number 219707/E10) and from january until summer/autumn 2013. The project will focus on species occurring in high abundances and compare taxa composition between years and relate the results to physical and some biological factors. We might al so target some interesting species specifically to determine when they can be found int he water column throughout the year. This project will also evaluate the use of molecular tools and optimize the protocols for genetical identification of bivalvs. Thi s will be valuable in later meroplankton investigations. Sampling will be done together with a PhD-project investigating seasonal variation in meroplankton and a master project investigating the microbial community (all under the same RIS umbrella proje ct). This will give us the change to see the results in a bigger context and to help each other during the field- and lab-work.