Phylogenetic analysis of Michigan's freshwater sponges (Porifera, Spongillidae) using extended COI mtDNA sequences

Abstract

Kolomyjec et al. (2020). Phylogenetic analysis of Michigan’s freshwater sponges (Porifera, Spongillidae) using extended COI mtDNA sequences. – Zoologica Scripta, 00, 000-000. The phylogenetic relationships of eight species of freshwater sponges sampled throughout the State of Michigan in the North American Great Lakes region were examined as part of a Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE). An extended version of the standard cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) metazoan DNA was used for sequencing and Bayesian phylogenetic inference. The extended gene region (COI-ext) produces a 1,200 bp amplicon instead of the standard 640 bp fragment which compensates for the standard amplicon’s low informatics value in Phylum Porifera. The species examined clustered into strongly supported monophyletic species groups within the family Spongillidae. This study represents the first look at the phylogenetic relationships of freshwater sponges in the Great Lakes Region.Per Kolomyjec, College of Science and the Environment, Lake Superior State University, 650 W Easterday Ave., Sault Sainte Marie, MI 49783, USA. E-mail skolomyjec{at}lssu.eduCompeting Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.View Full Text