Unveiling the diversity and ecological role of the obligate parasitic fungi in phylum Cryptomycota

这个项目将调查最近发现的一组被称为隐菌门的真菌的生物和遗传多样性。该集团主要是已知的，只有从分子签名，已普遍恢复在环境中使用DNA技术。根据对该群体所知甚少的情况，这些真菌似乎寄生在其他生物体上，然而，隐菌门的宿主和栖息地要求的精确设置仍然是个谜。这项研究将对该组的多样性进行编目，并对其形态，宿主范围和环境功能提供新的见解。从北美多种栖息地类型中分离的单个细胞将使用最先进的基因组学方法和显微镜进行分析，以了解迄今为止仅被描述为环境条形码的生物体的面貌和功能。隐菌门显然构成了许多栖息地中生物多样性的很大一部分，从池塘和土壤到海洋。了解这些生物体的功能以及它们寄生的东西对于发展对食物网和营养循环的预测性理解至关重要。此外，阐明这些真菌寄生的生物体可能对我们的粮食供应安全和生物燃料的生产产生重大影响。这也可能对人类健康产生影响。高级人员将培训博士后研究人员，研究生和本科生在真菌学，基因组学和生物信息学的现代技术。在这项研究中产生的DNA序列数据将通过网络服务器公开提供，这将丰富有关隐菌门的教育和研究内容。

This project will investigate the biological and genetic diversity of a recently discovered group of fungi known as Cryptomycota. The group is primarily known only from molecular signatures which have been ubiquitously recovered in the environment using DNA techniques. From what little is known of the group, these fungi appear to be parasitic on other organisms, yet, the precise set of hosts and habitat requirements of Cryptomycota remain mysterious. This research will catalog the diversity of the group and provide novel insights into its morphology, host-range, and environmental function. Individual cells isolated from multiple habitat types in North America will be will be analyzed using state-of-the-art genomics methods and microscopy to put a face and function onto organisms that heretofore have been merely characterized as environmental barcodes.Cryptomycota apparently make up a large proportion of the diversity of organisms in many habitats, ranging from ponds and soil to the sea. Understanding the function of these organisms and what they parasitize is vital for developing a predictive understanding of food webs and nutrient cycling. Moreover, elucidating what organisms these fungi parasitize could have significant implications for the security of our food supply and the production of biofuels. There may also be implications for human health. The senior personnel will train postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students in modern techniques of mycology, genomics, and bioinformatics. The DNA sequence data generated in this study will be made publicly available through webservers, which will be enriched with educational and research content regarding Cryptomycota.