Photos from the 2003 East Tennessee Collegiate Division Meeting of the Tennessee Academy of Science held at Pellissippi State Technical Community College
4/11/2003
Will Lehman, Maryville College
First Place Outstanding Undergraduate Presentation
ABSTRACT
DNA extraction from Formaldehyde preserved Zebra Mussels
The zebra mussel is an invasive species from Europe, which has quickly spread throughout the fresh water systems in Eastern North America. In order to easily track founding groups and thus learn more about the zebra mussel, DNA analysis is required. Typically, extraction of DNA is done from fresh mussels, frozen mussels, or mussels preserved in ethanol. This experiment set out to test if DNA could be extracted from mussels preserved in formaldehyde. The results showed that a limited amount of DNA could be extracted. The DNA that was extracted from the mussels preserved in formaldehyde was compared to the yields and quality of that which was extracted by others using fresh, frozen, or alcohol preserved mussels.
