RUI: Testing phylogenetic hypotheses within Tubulinea, a clade of free-living lobose amoebae

关于微生物的生物多样性，还有许多有待了解的地方。变形虫，这个提议的主题，特别被忽视，因为它们的体积小，细胞结构简单，提供很少的特征进行比较研究。该项目依靠分子工具来阐明Tubulinea类群中变形虫的多样性，重点是Arcellinida中所谓的有壳变形虫。这些变形虫大量存在于各种栖息地，包括池塘、溪流和许多土壤中，它们可能是食物网和碳循环的重要参与者。项目成果包括：自由生活的变形虫新文化的沉积，来自不同变形虫的众多基因的表征；并为这些鲜为人知的物种的未来研究创造一个框架。本项目更广泛的影响包括：1)培养本科生和研究生；2)向当地学校提供教育服务，包括马萨诸塞州斯普林菲尔德市的学校；3)通过一个由史密斯学院首席研究员共同创立的项目，增加来自代表性不足群体的学生的参与，包括第一代大学生。

Much remains to be learned about the biological diversity of microbial organisms. Amoebae, the subject of this proposal, have been particularly neglected because of both their small size and simple cell structures that provide few characters for comparative studies. This project relies on molecular tools to elucidate the diversity of amoebae in the group Tubulinea, with a focus on the so-called shelled amoebae in the Arcellinida. These amoebae, which are abundant in diverse habitats including ponds, streams, and many soils, are likely important players in food webs and in Carbon cycling. Project deliverables include: deposition of new cultures of free-living amoebae, characterization of numerous genes from diverse amoebae; and creation of a framework for future studies of these poorly known species.The broader impacts of this project include: 1) training undergraduates and graduate students; 2) educational outreach to local schools, including those in the underserved city of Springfield, Massachusetts; and 3) increased participation of students from underrepresented groups, including first generation college students, through a program co-founded by the principal investigator at Smith College.