Non-destructive sampling of juvenile abalone using epipodial tentacles and mucus: method and application

Abstract

Good-quality biological material is needed to obtain intact deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) for use in molecular techniques such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Non-destructive sampling protocols of juvenile abalone Haliotis midae (7–15 months old) were tested in order to collect material for DNA extraction. DNA was successfully extracted from epipodial tentacles and mucus samples. PCR results confirmed the good quality of the DNA and the reliability of the method. Keywords: abalone, DNA extraction, DNA quality, epipodial tentacles, mucus, non-destructive sampling, PCRAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2006, 28(3&4): 719–72