Centre for Biodiversity Genomics (BIOUG) - Marine Invertebrates

Study Extent

Please review the referenced papers for study extent.

Sampling

Carr, C. M., Hardy, S. M., Brown, T. M., Macdonald, T. A., & Hebert, P. D. N. (2011). A tri-oceanic perspective: DNA barcoding reveals geographic structure and cryptic diversity in Canadian polychaetes. PLoS One, 6(7), e22232. "A total of 2324 polychaetes were collected (detailed specimen information is available in the “Polychaetes of North America (PONA)” project on BOLD; www.barcodinglife.org [35]) between 1999 and 2009 from eight locations in Canada and Alaska. These sites included Bamfield (British Columbia; n = 553), Bering Sea (Alaska; n = 137), Chukchi Sea (Alaska; n = 26), Churchill (Manitoba; n = 864), Resolute (Nunavut; n = 167), Igloolik (Nunavut; n = 91), Torngat Mountains National Park (Newfoundland and Labrador; n = 77), and St. Andrews (New Brunswick; n = 409). Samples from most sites were collected in the intertidal zone or from nearshore coastal habitats using subtidal dredges, diving, and plankton tows. Bering and Chukchi Sea samples were obtained from ship-based sampling in offshore waters (40–60 m water depth) using a van Veen grab and a plumb-staff beam trawl with 4 mm mesh. Samples were sieved on 1 and 0.5 mm mesh. Whenever possible, multiple specimens of each morphospecies were collected. Specimens were fixed in either 70 or 90% ethanol, which was replaced at least three times to prevent dilution, and preserved in 95% ethanol." Layton, K. K., Martel, A. L., & Hebert, P. D. N. (2014). Patterns of DNA barcode variation in Canadian marine molluscs. PLoS One, 9(4), e95003. "A total of 2352 specimens were collected from 1999 to 2012 at sites across Canada (Figure 1). One quarter (666) of these specimens were collected from Alaska, Greenland and Iceland, although species found in these locations also exist in Canadian waters. ... When possible, five specimens per species were collected from intertidal or subtidal habitats using plankton nets, small dredges, and SCUBA diving, but samples from the Beaufort Sea were collected from deep subtidal soft-bottom habitats using an Agassiz trawl. Specimens were immediately fixed in 90–100% ethanol, with subsequent replacement of ethanol to prevent its dilution. During fixation, the opercula of gastropods were removed, and the shells of bivalves were separated to ensure preservation of internal tissues. After each collecting trip, specimens were placed in fresh 95% ethanol and stored at −20°C."

Quality Control

All specimens are visible on BOLD (www.boldsystems.org). Through comparison with other specimens using their DNA barcode sequences, contaminated specimens and misidentifications were discovered and fixed where possible. Fields underwent a data cleansing process to ensure data were entered in a standardized matter.

Method steps

1. Please review the referenced papers for step description.

All specimens were identified to the lowest level of taxonomy possible, using a combination of morphological identification and taxonomic assignment based on DNA barcode sequence similarity.

1. Annelida
   rank: phylum
2. Cnidaria
   rank: phylum
3. Mollusca
   rank: phylum

The majority of the records included in this resource were collected in Canada, with the remainder collected in Florida (United States of America) and Greenland. Detailed collection information for each resource include the field id, location and latitude and longitude are included for each record.