EAGER-NEON: Collaborative Research: Formation of a NEON Microbial Metagenomics Data Synthesis Working Group

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The goal of this collaborative project is to enhance the ability to analyze microbial metagenomics datasets of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Microbial metagenomics, the characterization of microbial communities by the genes present in the sample, is important for fully understanding microbial processes. This project will enhance the comparative analytical capabilities available to the scientific community for describing properties of microbial communities, which will enable better integration of biological and geoscience data with other current earth-systems observing efforts. These improved analytic tools will facilitate developing better interconnections between environmental factors, biogeochemical processes, and microbial ecosystem structure and function in a more holistic fashion. The project will establish a Synthesis Working Group that will collect community input for guiding cyber-infrastructure and bioinformatics tool development and for answering fundamental questions with the NEON microbial metagenomics data sets. This collaborative project will form and coordinate a Synthesis Working Group for analysis and integration of NEON metagenomics data, leveraging ongoing development of bioinformatics and cyber-infrastructure tools for metagenomic data in partnership with other concurrent earth-systems observing efforts EarthCube and Critical Zone Observatories. The Synthesis Working Group will enhance scientific advancement by 1) facilitating formation of a diverse team to inform and utilize NEON microbial metagenomic data, 2) exploring strategies for synthesis of NEON metagenomic data using existing and new bioinformatics and cyberinfrastructure tools, and 3) synthesizing NEON metagenomic datasets via integration with multiple existing and developing open data archives. This project will enable comparisons that cannot be adequately synthesized today, which is necessary for evaluating the sustainability and resilience of microbial ecosystems, as well as the function of these microbial communities in supporting key ecosystem services. The project will engender broad scientific dissemination, use, and intercomparison of NEON data products through targeted scientific outreach activities and engagement of the scientific community, including integration of NEON with other earth-systems observing efforts.