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

RUI：测试 Tubulinea（自由生活的叶状变形虫的一个进化枝）内的系统发育假设

• 批准号: 0919152
• 负责人: Laura Katz
• 金额: $ 25.2万
• 依托单位: Smith College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-01 至 2014-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0919152&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RUI; Testing; phylogenetic; hypotheses; within

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.

关于微生物的生物多样性还有很多需要了解的地方。阿米巴，这项建议的主题，尤其被忽视，因为它们的小尺寸和简单的细胞结构，几乎没有特征可供比较研究。这个项目依靠分子工具来阐明管虫群中阿米巴虫的多样性，重点是阿尔塞里亚纲中所谓的有壳阿米巴虫。这些阿米巴虫在池塘、溪流和许多土壤等不同的栖息地中大量存在，很可能是食物链和碳循环中的重要角色。项目成果包括：新的自由生活阿米巴培养物的沉积，不同变形虫众多基因的表征，以及为这些鲜为人知的物种的未来研究建立一个框架。该项目的更广泛的影响包括：1)培训本科生和研究生；2)教育推广到当地学校，包括在服务不足的马萨诸塞州斯普林菲尔德市的学校；以及3)通过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。