Jackeline Ruiz Mendoza - Population genomics of Octopus species in the Southeast Pacific

A Pacific octopus on the hunt. Photo from Sustainable Fisheries Partnership.

Home institution and supervisors
Jorge Ramirez. UNMSM, Peru.

Host institution and supervisors
Michael D. Martin, Vanessa Bieker, Jaime Morin. NTNU, Norway. 2023.

Project description
Octopus mimus and Octopus hubbsorum coexist on the Peruvian coast and are important resources for artisanal fisheries. Correctly defining the species is highly important in management and conservation of species. However, octopuses have soft bodies that can readily change in size, color, and shape. This high level of phenotypic plasticity makes their taxonomic characterization difficult, and as such morphological studies cannot readily differentiate these two species of genus Octopus.

Differentiation has also proven challenging using genetic data. Previous research studies carried out in both species used mitochondrial DNA to suggest that both should be considered a single species. Thus it has been hypothesized that the genetic differences in the four mitochondrial genes studied are due to a marked population structure and not to a speciation process. However, thus far no studies have been carried out at the nuclear genome level. The project aims to resolve this taxonomic uncertainty by using whole-genome sequencing that will provide relevant information on this question through analysis of potential hybridization patterns using a population genomic approach.