University of Windsor
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research
Comparison of Traditional Taxonomy and
Molecular Techniques for Identifying Rare
Species in Hamilton Harbour
Keara Stanislawczyk
MSc Candidate
GLIER, University of Windsor
Friday, February 28, 2014 at 3:00 pm, GLIER Conference Center, Room 250
Non-native species (NIS) including zebra mussel, round goby, and fishhook
waterflea, among others, have been changing the dynamics of the Great Lakes
since their introductions. These NIS have negative environmental and economic
impacts on their new environment, and are difficult to eliminate. Many of these
NIS were introduced and moved throughout the Great Lakes via ballast water
discharged from both domestic and international ships. When a species is first
introduced, the population size will generally be very small. This is the best time
to eliminate the NIS; however, it is difficult to detect rare species in aquatic
systems. Two techniques for detecting species, traditional taxonomy, and
environmental genomics (454 pyrosequencing), were compared for their
effectiveness in detecting Cladocera zooplankton in Hamilton Harbour, Ontario.
My thesis will utilize traditional taxonomy to validate rare species previously
detected using genetic methodologies. This study will provide insight regarding
the use of each of these two techniques, and will help scientists choose the most
appropriate method for their studies.