CAREER: Phylogeny of Ciliates in the Class Phyllopharyngea

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DEB-0092908Laura A. Katz Dr. Laura Katz of Smith College (Northampton, MA) has been awarded a CAREER grant to explore evolutionary relationships among ciliate protozoa in the class Phyllopharyngea and teach principles in biology using a phylogenetic (evolutionary) framework, while encouraging students to develop broadly applicable skills in writing and oral presentation. Ciliates are a diverse group of microorganisms found free-living in a wide range of soil, freshwater, marine habitats as well as in association with numerous animals. Unlike many plants and animals, which have well understood "family trees," the evolutionary relationships among ciliates are only beginning to be explored. Advances in molecular biological and genomic methods will enable these relationships to be determined for the first time. This is essential for describing the biodiversity of microorganisms on earth, and for understanding the components of complex microbial communities that help to clean the water, purify the air, and sustain the biosphere. The phyllopharyngeans are a vastly understudied group of ciliates; only a handful of classification systems based on cell structure exist, and there are virtually no genetic data on these organisms. This proposal will identify members of this class and analyze relationships among the subclasses of phyllopharyngeans. To accurately assess relationships, genealogies will be inferred using comparative analyses of DNA sequences from four genes (small subunit rRNA, alpha-tubulin, the largest subunit of the RNA polymerase II and histone H4). The same markers will then be used to test the appropriateness of the classification of suctorians, one of the subclasses of phyllopharyngean, based on the mode of reproduction (budding). The CAREER plan also will use an evolutionary framework to teach principles of biology in the classroom and laboratory. This comprehensive educational experience will provide undergraduate students with a basis in the 'facts' while also stimulating them to develop and test hypotheses. Testing hypotheses about the evolutionary relationships among ciliates will expose students to diverse techniques and theories. The critical thinking, and training in written and oral skills in the educational plan will provide students with tools that carry beyond biology classes and school laboratory work, preparing them to make important contribuions in many facets of American society.