Mapping the Diversity of Sturgeon

Vadim had collected sturgeon specimens from all over the world, and scientists from Europe, Russia, and China sent more samples to the Museum to complete the sampling which Rob sequenced in his lab.

To identify the species of an animal from its DNA, you first must find a section of its DNA that contains a pattern unique to that species. Every individual in the species must have this sequence, and no animals from any other species can have it.

Rob and Vadim's first step, therefore, was to search for unique sequences for each species of sturgeon. They studied samples of each species from many different geographic locations to make sure no minor variations slipped through their diagnostic net. Once they had found reliable diagnostic markers for each species—and had tested them on a wide range of individuals‹they published their data on sturgeon systematics to make it available to others. Now, anyone who sequences the DNA from a sturgeon egg can identify its species by checking for the diagnostic markers Rob and Vadim found.

It was at this point that Vadim suggested they go a step further and use their data for conservation purposes. Rob, who immediately saw the value of such a test for the sake of sturgeon conservation, agreed.

"I don't know if he had this in mind all along," Rob recalls with a chuckle. "He might have. He's a clever guy. But one day he said, I bet we can use the sequencing we've done to identify sturgeon species from their caviar. And he was right. We could."