RAPID: Microbial Diversity along an elevational gradient in El Yunque National Forest before and after Hurricane Maria

一个奖项是作出德尔图拉博大学，以支持学生的学习和研究已受到严重影响的几个自然灾害，包括飓风玛丽亚（2017年9月），2020年地震（2020年1月），和目前的Covid-19大流行。 该奖项将为三名本科生和一名硕士生提供助学金，用品和旅行，研究飓风玛丽亚对埃尔云克国家森林海拔梯度生物多样性的影响。 学生们将利用各种基因组方法来分析15个地块的土壤核心样本，研究微生物多样性如何沿沿着海拔梯度变化，以及飓风玛丽亚是否显著改变了整个海拔梯度的生物多样性。 学生们将特别使用ABI 3500遗传分析平台，该平台曾获得NSF MRI奖（1726158）。气候变化可以通过影响表面垃圾、树冠开口、太阳辐射和风对微生物（真菌和细菌）多样性产生重大影响。 位于波多黎各的埃尔云克国家森林受到飓风玛丽亚的严重影响。 埃尔云克国家森林为几种森林类型（tubonuco，棕榈林，帕洛科罗拉多和小精灵森林）提供了一个自然环境，跨越其自然海拔梯度，每种森林类型都有自己的内源生物多样性。 该大学创造了15个森林地块，海拔300至1000米，间隔50米。 在每个海拔建立一个50 × 20米的地块，并分成10个10 × 10的地块。 在飓风玛丽亚之前和之后，从每个海拔高度的相邻地块采集了土壤芯样。 这些样本将用于解决两个基本问题：1）微生物多样性如何沿着海拔梯度变化，2）微生物多样性如何受玛丽亚飓风沿着海拔梯度的影响？ 学生们将从每个核心土壤样本中提取DNA样本，并使用各种特异性引物从样本中扩增gDNA，以量化特定微生物物种的存在和丰度。 DNA序列分析将用于进一步识别和区分物种，提供对海拔相关多样性和飓风玛丽亚导致的多样性变化的见解。 学生将获得使用各种基因组学技术和实验室设备的培训，并将进一步加强目前与美国林务局卢基略DNA学习中心NSF-LTER的合作（在冷泉港实验室），关于Bio-Link（NSF-ATE BIO）该奖项反映了NSF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进行评估，被认为值得支持审查标准。

An award is made to Universidad Del Turabo to support student learning and research which has been severely impacted by several natural disasters including Hurricane Maria (September, 2017), the 2020 earthquakes (January, 2020), and the current Covid-19 pandemic. The award will support stipends, supplies, and travel for three undergraduate students and one masters student studying the impact of Hurricane Maria on biodiversity across the elevation gradient of El Yunque National Forest. The students will utilize a variety of genomic approaches to analyze soil core samples taken across 15 plots to study how microbial diversity changes along elevation gradients and whether Hurricane Maria significantly altered the biodiversity across the elevation gradient. The students will particular use of an ABI 3500 Genetic Analysis platform acquired with a previous NSF MRI award (1726158).Climate change can have a significant impact on microbial (fungi and bacterial) diversity by impacting surface litter, canopy openings, solar radiation, and winds. The El Yunque National Forest, located in Puerto Rico, has been dramatically impacted by Hurricane Maria. The El Yunque National Forest provides a natural setting for several forest types (tubonuco, palm forest, palo Colorado, and elfin forest), across its natural elevation gradient, with each forest type having its own endogenous biodiversity. The University has created 15 forest plots from 300 to 1000 meters in elevation at 50 meter intervals. At each elevation a 50 X 20 meter plots was established and divided into ten 10 X 10 plots. Soil core samples were taken before and after Hurricane Maria from adjacent plots at each elevation. The samples will be used to address two fundamental questions: 1) how does microbial diversity change along the elevation gradient and 2) how was microbial diversity effected by Hurricane Maria along the elevation gradient? The students will extract DNA samples from each of the core soil samples and use a variety of specific primers to amplify gDNA from the samples to quantify the presence and abundance of specific microbial species. DNA sequence analysis will be used to further identify and discriminate species providing insights into both elevation associated diversity and changes in this diversity as a result of Hurricane Maria. Students will obtain training in the use of a variety genomics techniques and laboratory equipment and will further strengthen current collaborations with the NSF-LTER at Luquillo, US Forest Service, DNA Learning Center (at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), and Bio-Link (NSF-ATE BIO).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.