Dear All,
I am issuing this request for help in hopes that some of you out there
would be willing to participate in an international study of a common
polychaete cryptic species complex. You have probably guessed that the
complex of interest to me is Polydora cornuta (ligni) which has been
reported from just about everywhere in the world. Over the years, we
have tested reproductive compatibility between many populations within
the USA and have demonstrated that more than one species is present.
This past summer, I was able to finally make some progress sequencing
the cytochrome oxidase gene from individuals from Florida and Maine (any
of you who have tried this know that "universal primers" don't work very
well with some polychaetes). Our results indicate that these two
populations are 1) reproductively isolated, 2) morphologically
indistinguishable, and 3) about 18% different in CO1 sequences. Based
upon these preliminary results, I am seeking funding and collection help
to expand population analyses to additional locations within the USA and
to Europe, Australia, and anywhere else that Polydora cornuta pops up.
If anyone receiving this message would like to help, please contact me
personally at <srice at ut.edu>
I doubt that I will have funds to pay folks to collect worms but I
certainly will be able to pay for shipping costs and materials. In
addition, you will have my eternal gratitude.
Dr. Stanley A. Rice
Department of Biology
University of Tampa
401 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33606 USA
(813) 253-3333 Ext. 3340
fax: (813) 258-7881)
e-mail: srice at ut.edu
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