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Octocorals (soft corals, sea fans and sea pens) are a diverse, ecologically important group of marine organisms. They are, however, very difficult to identify, as a result of which many species remain undescribed and poorly known. I will give an overview of the various molecular approaches we have been using to try to better understand species boundaries, phylogenetic relationships, and the evolution of morphological characters in this group. In addition, I'll discuss the numerous challenges octocorals present to the currently popular idea that universal "DNA barcodes" (unique, species-specific DNA sequences) can be used to identify species. |
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