Research Training Program

Carlos D. Bustamante
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida

Jon Norenburg, Ph.D.
Project Advisor
Department of Invertebrate Zoology

"Without reservation, this program is an incredible opportunity for anyone interested in systematics and collection based research."

Genetic Comparison of Ten Nemertean Populations

Using 300 bp 28s fragmens of nuclear ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (nrDNA), the genetic relationships of four Nemertean species within the genus Lineus is reconstructed. The study includes a total of ten populations from both Great Britain and the United States and represents one of the first molecular systematice reconstructions within the phylum Nemertea. The results support an earlier assertion based on morphology that Lineus socialis and Lineus sanguineus are conspecific. It also supports a proposed hypothesis for a cryptic mimic within certain populations of L. ruber and L. virdis.