A Tropical Microbial Observatory: Collaborative Research on Microbial Diversity in Caterpillars.

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MCB-0084224Anna-Louise ReysenbachLinda Amaral ZettlerResearch teams headed by Drs. Robert M. Goodman (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Anna-Louise Reysenbach (Portland State University), and Greg Thorn (University of Western Ontario) have been awarded a grant to establish a tropical microbial observatory for collaborative research on microbial diversity (Bacteria, Archaea, Fungi, Protists) associated with caterpillars. The observatory will be based in the Area de Conservacion Guanacaste (ACG) in northwestern Costa Rica, which has been identified as a "hotspot" for biological conservation. The project is logistically based on the network of biological stations established throughout the ACG, where another NSF-funded team is conducting a large, long-term survey and inventory of caterpillars. Studies of the microbial observatory will focus on the detection, characterization, and inventory of cultured and non-cultured microbiota, the latter which is expected to be vastly more diverse than that revealed by traditional culturing methods alone. The long-term goal is to study the dynamics and function of microorganisms (most of which will be new to science) in the feeding preferences, habits, development, and nutrition of herbivorous caterpillars. In short, to determine if microbial diversity parallels animal and plant species diversity in this tropical forest system.The research teams will use groundbreaking methods in environmental microbiology to accomplish these goals, including metagenome cloning and tools such as DNA microarrays. The molecular studies will be integrated with the cultivation-based studies and, together, these two approaches will lead to a better understanding of the nature and dynamics of assemblages of microorganisms associated with caterpillars at the observatory. The results are expected to allow scientists to tap into the biochemical and genetic capabilities of the microorganisms that may lead to the discovery of potentially new and useful natural products. This observatory will also foster U.S.-Costa Rican collaboration through training of US and Costa Rican undergraduate and graduate students, close collaboration with US and Costa Rican conservation biologists, database linkages to the Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad Costa Rica (INBio), and direct collaboration with researchers at the University of Costa Rica at San Jose. All cultures and DNA obtained from this project will be stored in both US and Costa Rican collections, which will provide an organismal and genetic foundation for future screening of novel products or genes. This study will set the framework for additional microbial diversity inventories in this species rich area, and its results are expected to have extensive local and global impacts for both cross-disciplinary scientific training and public outreach and education.