RUI: Testing phylogenetic hypotheses within Tubulinea, a clade of free-living lobose amoebae

关于微生物的生物多样性，还有很多东西有待了解。 变形虫，这一建议的主题，一直特别被忽视，因为他们的小尺寸和简单的细胞结构，提供了比较研究的字符很少。该项目依赖于分子工具来阐明管状变形虫组中变形虫的多样性，重点是Arcellinida中所谓的有壳变形虫。 这些变形虫在不同的栖息地，包括池塘，溪流和许多土壤中大量存在，可能是食物网和碳循环的重要参与者。 项目交付成果包括：该项目的广泛影响包括：1）培训本科生和研究生; 2）向当地学校提供教育服务，包括马萨诸塞州服务水平低下的斯普林菲尔德市的学校; 3）通过史密斯学院首席研究员共同创办的一个项目，增加了来自代表性不足群体的学生的参与，包括第一代大学生。

Much remains to be learned about the biological diversity of microbial organisms. Amoebae, the subject of this proposal, have been particularly neglected because of both their small size and simple cell structures that provide few characters for comparative studies. This project relies on molecular tools to elucidate the diversity of amoebae in the group Tubulinea, with a focus on the so-called shelled amoebae in the Arcellinida. These amoebae, which are abundant in diverse habitats including ponds, streams, and many soils, are likely important players in food webs and in Carbon cycling. Project deliverables include: deposition of new cultures of free-living amoebae, characterization of numerous genes from diverse amoebae; and creation of a framework for future studies of these poorly known species.The broader impacts of this project include: 1) training undergraduates and graduate students; 2) educational outreach to local schools, including those in the underserved city of Springfield, Massachusetts; and 3) increased participation of students from underrepresented groups, including first generation college students, through a program co-founded by the principal investigator at Smith College.