Genetic Diversity of Typical Tropical Marine Organisms (Jellyfish)

     This sub-project was conducted since 2012 under a scientific cooperation between the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand, and the First Institute of Oceanography (FIO), State Oceanic Administration (SOA), People's Republic of China. It focuses on investigating genetic diversity of jellyfish and venomous jellyfish in the Thai water as well as evaluating capability of DNA barcoding using common molecular markers such as 18S, COI, and 16S rDNA.

Objectives

• To assess the genetic diversity of venomous jellyfish in the Thai water, with a specific focus on box jellyfish.
• To evaluate DNA sequences using common molecular markers and develop DNA barcode for jellyfish and venomous jellyfish in the Thai water.
• To establish biogeography for one or two species of box jellyfish that exist along the Andaman coastline and the Gulf of Thailand.

Expected benefits

• DNA barcode for venomous box jellyfish (Cubozoans) and sea nettles (Scyphozoans) in the Thai water. It is expected that the barcode can be effective molecular tools for identifying unknown species of specimens including larvae and immature tissue fragments. Additionally, the molecular tools could facilitate further researches on the ecology and toxins of the common venomous jellyfish found in Thai water.