Moorea Coral Reef Ecological Omics Laboratory

国家研究委员会在其指导国家科学基金会海洋科学优先事项的报告《海洋变化：2015-2025年海洋科学十年调查》中强调，基因组学和相关技术（“组学”）的民主化是促进发现和实验的机会。在这个项目中实施的改进充分利用了这个机会，促进了加州大学甘南太平洋研究站的尖端行为和生态组学实验。新的珊瑚礁生态组学实验室（CREOL）实施了在美国国家科学基金会以前的支持下制定的计划，在甘普站建立一个珊瑚礁基因组观测站。CREOL设施将扩大和改进研究站现有的海洋实验室和mesocosmos设施，为样品处理和临时储存提供必要的设备，以便在加州和其他地区的实验室进行分析。这项研究提高了社会理解和维持珊瑚礁生态系统及其提供的服务的能力。珊瑚礁是生物多样性的热点，具有重要的社会意义和经济价值。通常与人类活动有关的地方和全球进程日益威胁到这些特殊自然系统的持续健康。关于种群动态、生态系统过程、生物多样性和恢复力的新研究对珊瑚礁的成功管理、保护和恢复至关重要。新的珊瑚礁生态组学实验室扩展和扩展了加州大学甘南太平洋研究站（www.moorea.berkeley.edu）开展的科学研究类型，提高了研究站支持基因组学和其他基于基因组学的研究的能力。虽然新设施主要为研究海洋生态系统的研究人员和学生提供服务，特别是那些与美国国家科学基金会的Moorea珊瑚礁长期生态研究（LTER）有关的研究，但它也支持陆地和淡水环境的研究。新设施有两个关键组成部分：首先，增加了湿实验室的能力，以支持一套新的中生态系统；其次，升级了分子实验室，以处理随之而来的生物样品的增加，以及有效处理和将这些样品运送到国内机构进行各种组学分析的需求。这些改进使基因组学和相关新技术在面向过程的研究和长期研究中的应用成为可能。该项目开发了一种稳定野外站生物样本的方法，最大限度地提高了上下文信息和元数据管理的质量。生物样本被运送到国内机构的核心设施进行实际的组学分析，同时通过先进的生物信息学软件，如基因组观察站元数据库（GEOME），保持来源信息和数据价值链的完整性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

In its report guiding ocean science priorities at NSF, Sea Change: 2015-2025 Decadal Survey of Ocean Sciences, the National Research Council highlighted the democratization of genomics and related technologies ('omics) as an opportunity to foster discovery and experimentation. The improvements implemented in this project take full advantage of this opportunity, facilitating cutting-edge behavioral and ecological 'omics experiments at the University of California's Gump South Pacific Research Station. The new Coral Reef Ecological Omics Lab (CREOL) implements plans drawn up with previous NSF support to develop a Coral Reef Genomic Observatory at the Gump Station. The CREOL facility will expand and improve the research station's existing marine lab and mesocosm facilities, providing necessary equipment for sample processing and temporary storage of specimens, prior to analyses at laboratories in California and beyond. This research enhances society's ability to understand and sustain coral reef ecosystems and the services they provide. Coral reefs are hotspots for biological diversity and are sources of great societal significance and economic value. Local and global processes, often associated with human activities, increasingly threaten the continued health of these exceptional natural systems. New research on population dynamics, ecosystem processes, biodiversity and resilience is critical to successful management, conservation, and restoration of coral reefs. The new Coral Reef Ecological Omics Lab expands and extends the types of scientific study carried out at the University of California's Gump South Pacific Research Station (www.moorea.berkeley.edu), increasing the research station's capacity to support genomics and other 'omics-based research. While the new facility primarily serves researchers and students studying marine ecosystems, notably those associated with NSF's Moorea Coral Reef Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site, it also supports studies in terrestrial and freshwater environments. The new facility has two key components: first increased wet lab capacity to support a suite of new mesocosms, and second, an upgraded molecular laboratory to handle the concomitant increase in biosamples and the need to efficiently process and ship those samples to home institutions for a variety of 'omics analyses. These improvements enable the application of genomics and related new technologies in process-oriented research and long-term studies. The project develops an approach that stabilizes biosamples at the field station, maximizing the quality of contextual information and metadata management. Biosamples are transported to core facilities based at home institutions for the actual omics analyses, while maintaining provenance information and the integrity of the data value chain through advanced biological informatics software, such as the Genomic Observatories Metadatabase (GEOME).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.