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Use of Daphnia magna as a biocontrol agent and for the detection of Saprolegnia parasitica utilizing quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction

Rowlands, Kevin
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1626356048402117

Abstract Details

2021, Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, Biological Sciences.
Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food sectors of the world economy and reached a record high of 178.5 million tonnes in 2018. Saprolegnia sp. is a fish pathogen with a wide range of hosts including all salmonids. It is responsible for millions of dollars of damage annually to aquaculture. It is estimated that roughly ten percent of all hatched salmon succumb to Saprolegnia infections. The resulting economic losses range in the tens of millions of dollars. Early detection in large bodies of water can prove difficult with current capture methods. This study was conducted to determine if Daphnia magna, a filter feeder could be used as a biocontrol agent and as an indicator for the presence of small amounts of Saprolegnia zoospores in water. Time-lapse images of zoospores were documented at different time points (0-, 30-, 60-, and 90-minutes) after the introduction of Daphnia magna and plates were allowed 48 hours for encysted zoospores to germinate. By 90 minutes, number of visual zoospores had declined significantly compared to controls. After 48-hour incubation control had mycelial growth while Daphnia exposed plates did not, indicating that Daphnia magna did consume zoospores and could be used as a biocontrol agent to control Saprolegnia spp.. To determine if Daphnia magna can be used for detection of Saprolegnia spp., quantitative PCR (qPCR) with Saprolegnia specific primers targeting a cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene, was utilized. In Daphnia magna that had consumed zoospores at different times (5,10, 30, 40, and 50 minutes), qPCR failed to detect Saprolegnia spp.. This study indicates Daphnia magna does intake zoospores, indicating that it has potential to be used as a biocontrol agent against Saprolegnia infection. However, the DNA of Saprolegnia degrades too quickly once were inside Daphnia magna and cannot be used as an indicator for the presence of Saprolegnia spp.
Vipaporn Phuntumart, PhD (Advisor)
Raymond Larsen, PhD (Committee Member)
Paul Morris, PhD (Committee Member)
64 p.
Biology
Daphnia magna; Saprolegnia parasitica; qPCR; Zoospores; Biocontrol; Oomycete; Aquaculture; Atlantic salmon; Cytochrome oxidase gene

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Rowlands, K. (2021). Use of Daphnia magna as a biocontrol agent and for the detection of Saprolegnia parasitica utilizing quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1626356048402117

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Rowlands, Kevin. Use of Daphnia magna as a biocontrol agent and for the detection of Saprolegnia parasitica utilizing quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction. 2021. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1626356048402117.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Rowlands, Kevin. "Use of Daphnia magna as a biocontrol agent and for the detection of Saprolegnia parasitica utilizing quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1626356048402117

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1626356048402117
229
© 2021, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Use of Daphnia magna as a biocontrol agent and for the detection of Saprolegnia parasitica utilizing quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction by Kevin Rowlands is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.