PurSUit: Discovery, characterization, and elucidation of the global patterns and determinants of anaerobic fungal (Neocallimastigomycota) diversity in the herbivorous gut

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Herbivores rely on microorganisms residing in their digestive tracts for breaking down ingested grasses and other feedstock into soluble products. This transformation is achieved by the concerted action of a highly diverse microbial community of bacteria, archaea, protozoa, and fungi. Within such intricate assemblages, members of the anaerobic gut fungi (Neocallimstigomycota) remain the most enigmatic. Compared to their physical neighbors in the herbivorous gut or their phylogenetic neighbors in the fungal tree of life, Neocallimastigomycota diversity, ecological preferences, and evolutionary history is poorly understood. This project aims to discover and characterize novel members of the Neocallimastigomycota by implementing an ambitious sampling scheme covering a broad range of wild and domesticated herbivores. The project will also develop innovative approaches for characterizing Neocallimastigomycota diversity using a combination of culture-based as well as culture-independent strategies. In addition to discovering novel microorganisms, the proposal will elucidate factors controlling the occurrence, abundance, and distribution of the Neocallimastigomycota in the herbivorous gut. The research will contribute to workforce training by involving multiple undergraduates and graduate students in research activities, with special emphasis on recruiting students from minorities (Native Americans, Hispanics, and African Americans) that are underrepresented in science. The researchers will conduct an extensive global-level diversity survey of herbivores that harbor, or putatively harbor, members of the Neocallimastigomycota to fill significant gaps of knowledge regarding their scope of diversity in nature. A broad spatial, temporal and replicate sampling effort will be implemented to fully characterize Neocallimastigomycota diversity on a global scale. The project will provide an updated taxonomic framework for the Neocallimastigomycota, characterize multiple novel taxa, establish minimal and recommended standards for taxa description and naming, establish the utility of novel phylogenetic markers for culture-independent diversity assessments, expand Neocallimastigomycota culture collections, and promote initiatives for storage, sharing, and maintenance of strains. Further, the extensive dataset and associated metadata generated will be utilized by the researchers to address specific questions and hypotheses regarding the ecological and evolutionary drivers shaping Neocallimastigomycota diversity and community structure in herbivores. Specifically, the project will examine the impact of host phylogeny, domestication, host age, and biogeography on Neocallimastigomycota diversity, as well as the evolutionary considerations underpinning Neocallimstigomycota diversity in non-mammalian herbivores.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.