Preliminary Characterization of Three Populations of the Freshwater Sponge, Clypeatula cooperensis, using RAPD-PCR

Abstract

In order to relate the three known populations of the freshwater sponge, Clypeatula cooperensis, to one another, sponge DNA was subjected to RAPDPCR. DNA was extracted using a Puregene kit from three specimens collected from each population. Following PCR optimization, DNA was amplified using random primers (OPA-10, 11, 12, 13, 18, and 20). Although reproducibility was a problem, preliminary results suggest that variability within populations is as high as variability among populations, raising the possibility that the three populations are genetically identical. This is an unexpected finding because one population is geographically isolated from the other two. If correct, one explanation is that the three populations have only recently become separated.