PurSUiT: Biodiversity exploration and phylogenetic systematics of the zoosporic fungal phylum Blastocladiomycota

大多数真菌的生物多样性知之甚少，很大程度上是因为大多数真菌物种都很微小，无法培养，因此很难观察到它们。然而，新兴的方法正在消除这些障碍，并允许通过对真菌进行DNA测序来研究真菌，而不需要培养(单细胞基因组学)。该项目将专注于一组名为blastcladimycota(Blastoclads)的水生真菌，这是一组具有独特生活史和重要生态作用的真菌，包括作为许多昆虫、植物和藻类的病原体。通过将单细胞基因组学和显微观察相结合，该项目将导致发现新物种并对五个主要的胚衣谱系进行分类修订，其中包括腔霉属，该属长期以来一直被研究为潜在的传播疾病的蚊子的生防剂。更好地了解该群体的生物多样性和遗传学及其生态相互作用，有助于全球为未来的传染病暴发做好准备，并开发可能的生防剂。该项目将包括一名博士后研究员和一名研究生的培训，并将通过一个研讨会和一个专注于这些真菌的教学模块进行推广。该项目旨在将一组真菌的历史信息与包括基因组学、单细胞测序和元基因组学在内的更现代的分子方法相结合，这些真菌已经被传统的真菌学方法(显微镜、诱饵、培养)大量研究。在密歇根州和热带/亚热带地区收集TRIPS将被用于诱饵和分离培养物，并收集致病物种的组织和标本用于单细胞测序。30个分类群的基因组测序将被用来在系统发育的背景下评估胚芽的多样性。有几个胚芽被属非常需要进行分类修订。该项目将专注于这些属，使用形态学、DNA测序和寄主范围的组合方法来确定适当的物种边界并描述新的类群。最终目标是使用环境DNA方法，如元基因组学和元生物编码，以确定芽鞘的隐蔽多样性程度，即有多少物种尚未抽样，并确定特别丰富的芽鞘生物多样性的栖息地。综合起来，这些方法将为未来被忽视的物种群体中的生物多样性探索提供一个模式。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Most of the biodiversity of fungi is poorly known largely because most fungal species are microscopic and uncultivatable, making them difficult to observe. However, emerging methods are removing these barriers and are allowing fungi to be studied by sequencing their DNA from individual cells without cultivation (single cell genomics). This project will focus on a group of aquatic fungi called Blastocladiomycota (blastoclads), a diverse group of fungi with unique life cycles and important ecological roles, including acting as pathogens to many insects, plants, and algae. By integrating single cell genomics and microscopic observations, this project will lead to the discovery of new species and taxonomic revision of five major blastoclad lineages, including Coelomomyces, a genus that has long been studied as a potential biocontrol agent of disease-vectoring mosquitoes. A better understanding of the biodiversity and genetics of the group and their ecological interactions can help in global preparedness for future infectious disease outbreaks and development of possible biocontrol agents. This project will involve training of a postdoctoral fellow and a graduate student, and will perform outreach through a workshop and a teaching module that focus on these fungi.This project aims to unite historical information on a group of fungi that has been heavily studied by traditional mycological approaches (microscopy, baiting, cultivation) with more modern molecular approaches that include genomics, single cell sequencing, and metagenomics. Collecting trips in Michigan and tropical/subtropical regions will be used to bait and isolate cultures and to collect tissues and specimens of pathogenic species for single cell sequencing. Genome sequencing of 30 taxa will be used to evaluate blastoclad diversity in a phylogenetic context. Several of the blastoclad genera are greatly in need of taxonomic revision. The project will focus on these genera, using a combined approach of morphology, DNA sequencing, and host range to determine appropriate species boundaries and describe new taxa. A final goal is to use environmental DNA approaches, such as metagenomics and metabarcoding to determine the extent of cryptic diversity of blastoclads, i.e., how many species are yet to be sampled, and to identify habitats that are particularly rich in blastoclad biodiversity. Together these approaches will provide a model for future biodiversity exploration in neglected groups of fungi.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.