Methods
The process of finding out starts with extensive planning and background research. Once an appropriate research plan had been formulated, Ceridwen began collecting her samples from sites around New Zealand, the subantarctic islands, Chile and the Falkland Islands. Ceridwen travelled to these places over a period of two years, with the help of other scientists that had been contacted during the planning process. This work enabled her to make observations and collect samples of kelp, as well as invertebrates found living in the kelp, to bring back to the lab.
Of course, most people can’t bring samples of seaweeds into New Zealand because of biosecurity regulations, so Ceridwen needed special permits from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Ever since, these samples have been carefully stored in isolation within a specially regulated laboratory.
Back in the lab Ceridwen and the team used modern molecular biotechnologies to find out how closely related the different species were. These analyses allowed Ceridwen to infer what had happened to this species during the last glacial period.
The techniques used were:
- Extraction of DNA
- Polymerase Chain Reaction to amplify specific DNA targets
- DNA sequencing
- Analysis of variation in genes
- Phylogenetic analyses to reveal relatedness
By using these techniques Ceridwen and the team were able to build up a picture of the genetic relatedness of the different populations of kelp.