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

大多数真菌的生物多样性是鲜为人知的，很大程度上是因为大多数真菌物种是微观的和不可培养的，使它们难以观察。然而，新兴的方法正在消除这些障碍，并且允许通过对单个细胞的DNA测序来研究真菌，而无需培养（单细胞基因组学）。该项目将重点研究一组被称为Blastocladiomycota （Blastocladiomycota）的水生真菌，这是一组具有独特生命周期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。通过整合单细胞基因组学和显微镜观察，该项目将导致新物种的发现和五个主要囊胚包膜谱系的分类修订，包括腔菌属，一个长期以来被研究为潜在的病媒蚊子生物防治剂的属。更好地了解这一群体的生物多样性和遗传学及其生态相互作用，可以帮助全球为未来的传染病暴发做好准备，并开发可能的生物防治剂。该项目将培训一名博士后和一名研究生，并将通过一个以这些真菌为重点的研讨会和教学模块进行推广。该项目旨在将一组真菌的历史信息与更现代的分子方法（包括基因组学、单细胞测序和宏基因组学）结合起来，这些真菌已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/亚热带地区的收集旅行将用于诱饵和分离培养物，并收集致病性物种的组织和标本进行单细胞测序。30个分类群的基因组测序将用于系统发育背景下的囊胚包壳多样性评估。有几个囊胚包壳属非常需要分类修订。该项目将集中研究这些属，利用形态学、DNA测序和寄主范围相结合的方法来确定适当的物种边界并描述新的分类群。最终目标是使用环境DNA方法，如宏基因组学和元条形码来确定囊胚层的隐性多样性程度，即有多少物种尚未采样，并确定囊胚层生物多样性特别丰富的栖息地。这些方法将为未来被忽视的真菌群体的生物多样性探索提供一个模型。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。

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.