EAGER: Can ancient DNA illuminate the fate of Caribbean reefs?

这名研究人员最近证明，可以从6000年前的珊瑚碎片中对珊瑚以及与珊瑚相关的微生物的古代DNA （aDNA）进行测序。这些碎片可以很容易地从保存在地质收藏中的珊瑚礁岩心中获得。在这篇文章中，研究人员扩展了这些结果，并比较了过去几千年来两个地理区域的珊瑚和它们的微生物。通过展示aDNA作为揭示珊瑚种群历史的有用工具的潜力，该项目可能为珊瑚aDNA研究开辟一个新的科学领域。外联活动包括新闻稿、社交媒体帖子、公开讲座，可能还会拍一部纪录片。该项目支持一名来自弱势群体的女研究生和一名本科生。研究人员将重点放在最重要的加勒比造礁珊瑚物种——棕榈Acropora palmata上，试图在两个地点和两个最可能显示生态进化过渡的时期，发现珊瑚种群的遗传组成及其相关微生物群落的差异。具体来说，他们使用的是来自佛罗里达州和美属维尔京群岛两个地方的核心，这两个地方拥有基因不同的棕榈古猿种群，以及3300 - 2900年前的“珊瑚礁间隙”时期，当时棕榈古猿种群被认为已经崩溃。他们还建立了用珊瑚aDNA丰富样本的杂交捕获方案，并试图对加勒比海第二重要的珊瑚礁建造者Orbicella faveolata的aDNA进行测序。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。

The investigator has recently demonstrated that ancient DNA (aDNA) from coral as well as coral-associated microbes can be sequenced from coral fragments up to six thousand years old. These fragments can be readily obtained from reef cores kept in geological collections. In this EAGER, the investigator is expanding these results and comparing corals and their microbes from two geographic regions and over the past few thousand years. By demonstrating the potential of aDNA as a useful tool to unravel the history of coral populations, the project may open up a new scientific field around coral aDNA studies. Outreach includes press releases, social media posts, public lectures, and potentially a documentary film. The project is supporting a female graduate student and an undergraduate student from an underrepresented background.Focusing on the most important Caribbean reef-building coral species, Acropora palmata, the investigator is attempting to detect differences in the genetic composition of coral populations and their associated microbial communities between two locations and two time periods that are the most likely to show an eco-evolutionary transition. Specifically, they are using cores from two locations that harbor genetically disparate A. palmata populations, Florida and US Virgin Islands, and time periods bounding a “reef gap” 3,300-2,900 years ago, when A. palmata populations are thought to have collapsed. They are also establishing the hybridization capture protocol to enrich samples with coral aDNA and attempting to sequence aDNA from the second most-important Caribbean reef builder, Orbicella faveolata.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.