Proteomic spectra of epipelagic copepods

We analyzed robustness of species identification based on proteomic
composition to data processing and intraspecific variability, specificity
and sensitivity of species-markers as well as discriminatory power of
proteomic fingerprinting and its sensitivity to phylogenetic distance. Our
analysis is based on MALDI-TOF MS data from 32 marine copepod species
coming from 13 regions (North and Central Atlantic and adjacent seas). A
random forest (RF) model correctly classified all specimens to species
level with only small sensitivity to data processing, demonstrating the
strong robustness of the method. Compounds with high specificity showed
low sensitivity i.e., identification was based on complex
pattern-differences rather than on presence of single markers.