Mentor: Carlos Prada, University of Rhode Island
Co-Mentor: Diana Beltran, University of Rhode Island

Project Location

University of Rhode Island-Kingston

Project Description

Now that shallow water commercially important species are disappearing, fishers are turning more and more to catch deeper water species, yet our scientific understanding of these species is limited. One key area for management is understanding the primary diet of these deep-water fishes. Understanding the full diversity of preys has been challenging because of the difficulty of identifying mostly digested food items. However, DNA molecular techniques have allowed high-resolution identification and successfully identified fishes’ complex feeding behaviors. To quantify prey diversity in queen snappers, the fellow -under our supervision- will implement the metagenomics approach.

Metagenomics allows us to have fine taxonomic resolution, improving the detection of rare and cryptic species, and allowing more accurate estimates of biodiversity. The metagenomic approach will capture all DNA available in queen snappers’ stomachs from preys that the fish usually eat. The idea behind metagenomics is to collect mixed free DNA in the stomach of predators, concentrate it, amplify a few DNA fragments (genes) from tens to hundreds of species simultaneously, sequence them then infer biodiversity patterns bioinformatically using curated databases. By studying the diet of these deep-water fishes, we will understand the basic tropic pyramid sustaining those fisheries and thus generate management actions to ensure it is sustainable.