9402855 Etter PROJECT ABSTRACT The deep sea is an environment that covers more than two-thirds of the earth's surface, yet little is known about the processes that have generated the rich and endemic deep- sea fauna. Molecular techniques offer a unique method for addressing fundamental ecological and evolutionary questions that would otherwise by intractable in this remote and alien environment. This study will quantify geographic variation from existing collections of deep-sea mollusks using contemporary molecular genetic tools, document patterns of genetic variation, and test specific hypotheses related to those patterns. In addition, the research will quantify the population genetic structure of several species from two important deep-sea taxa (gastropods and bivalves) arrayed along a depth gradient in the western north Atlantic. Using patterns of genetic variation, the Principal Investigator will determine if genetic divergence among conspecific populations decreases with depth paralleling observed patterns of phenotypic distance. The research will also provide estimates of gene flow, identify the structure of deep-sea populations and provide new molluscan-specific primers for use in genetic studies.
