RNAseq- Looking for "invasive genes" 

Utilizing RNA seq to create transcriptomes to look at underlying genes associated with the environment. So far we have collected samples from the "native range" in Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea, Israel. We sampled at a shallow and deep depth and different time points throughout the day.
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Next we will sample in the Caribbean. Then I will go back to lab, extract the RNA, sequence the RNA transcripts, use bioinformatics to map reads to a de novo transcriptome and create a map of novel genes in its native and invasive range.

This study will discover novel transcripts and investigate new gene expression associated with the migration history and make predictions about how the genomes will change given how the environmental differences between locations.

By addressing molecular basis that may be underlying different environments and ecological niches we may be able to address long standing questions about the biology of invasive species, which could help us understand invasive potential of species and provide us insight on how to prevent or combat species invasions.