Distribution of the uncultured protist MAST-4 in the Indian Ocean, Drake Passage and Mediterranean Sea assessed by real-time quantitative PCR

Abstract

Molecular surveys of marine picoeukaryotes have revealed many sequences unrelated to cultured organisms, including those forming the marine stramenopile (MAST)-4 clade. We developed a real-time quantitative PCR (Q-PCR) protocol to determine the abundance of MAST-4 using environmental DNA, and applied it along three marine transects in the Indian Ocean, Drake Passage, and Mediterranean Sea. MAST-4 was detected in all samples except mesopelagic and Antarctic samples, and was more abundant in coastal than offshore waters and at the deep chlorophyll maximum than at the surface.

Javier del Campo

Group Leader

My research aims at understanding the global diversity and distribution of eukaryotic and prokaryotic microbes employing curated phylogenetic frameworks focusing on novel environmental taxa.