Date of Award
Spring 5-7-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Marine Science
College
College of Science
First Advisor
Lauren M Stefaniak
Abstract/Description
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a widely used molecular technique for amplifying specific regions of DNA, and its success depends heavily on the design of the primer pair being used. Primers must be specific enough to amplify the target region while minimizing the amplification of the non-target DNA, even more so when samples could contain DNA from multiple species. Cytochrome oxidase I (COI) is the standard mitochondrial gene used for DNA barcoding in animals, including ascidians. Several COI primer pairs have been used for ascidians, ranging from universally applicable primers to those intended to be ascidian specific. However, their breadth and specificity have yet to be systematically tested, bringing about the purpose of this study. This experiment will evaluate six COI primer pairs for breadth by comparing their amplification success across a diverse set of ascidian taxa and selectivity by comparing amplification success for non-ascidian invertebrates as well. Results from this project will help researchers select appropriate primers for ascidian barcoding studies and better understand the risk of amplifying non-target DNA in mixed samples.
Recommended Citation
Shimp, Cierra, "Breadth and specificity of Ascidian cytochrome oxidase I PCR primers" (2026). Honors Theses. 526.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/honors-theses/526