PurSUiT: Discovery and characterization of mesophotic seaweeds in Hawaii: genomic adaptations to low light environments

中光带位于海洋深处，那里几乎没有光。 对可以生活在这些区域的生物，如海藻，知之甚少。一个这样的区域在夏威夷群岛海岸线外延伸约30-150米深。一项为期六年的海藻研究发现，52%的海藻是科学上的新物种。描述和描述这些物种对于更好地了解热带太平洋海洋生物的分布，追踪入侵物种以及促进了解全球生物多样性的更大目标非常重要。该项目将收集、鉴定和描述来自夏威夷的中光海藻，增加生物多样性数据和植物标本集，并发现新物种。此外，这项研究将允许对生活在中光区低光环境中的红色、绿色和棕色海藻的基因组水平适应进行首次调查。重要的是，该项目的一个关键目标包括通过接触最新的DNA测序技术，培养下一代藻类生物学家从事当前的工作，培训植物标本馆管理，基因组学，生物信息学以及生态和进化分析。该研究的目标和结果将通过众多的外联活动，科学会议和同行评议的publications.The mesophotic藻类植物群的夏威夷群岛将使用基因组略读和形态分析，以加快路径描述新物种的特点进行广泛传播。将通过与海洋和大气管理局文化工作组的伙伴关系，为新的海藻物种开发夏威夷语名称。将采用比较基因组学方法分析来自中光和浅海生境的密切相关的物种对，包括绿色、红色和棕色藻类物种。数据将被用来测试假设在热带太平洋，中光藻类的进化，和基因组适应生活在中光区。这项研究利用了与科学家，机构和其他人在过去十年中建立的伙伴关系，从偏远的实地和中光深度进行采样。可供查阅的资料包括永久存档的夏威夷中光标本集，通过网络访问数据库开放访问所有项目数据，（设在主教博物馆），建立一个基线中光藻类数据集，以帮助识别和筛选，系统地修订选定的分类群，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审查标准。

The mesophotic zone lies deep in oceans where very little light is present. The organisms, such as seaweeds, that can live in these zones are poorly known. One such zone extends approximately 30-150 m deep off the coastlines of the Hawaiian Islands. An initial six-year study of seaweeds in this habit found that 52% of the species were new to science. Characterizing and describing these species is important for developing a greater understanding of the distribution of marine organisms across the tropical Pacific, for tracking invasive species, and for contributing to the larger goal of understanding global biodiversity. This project will collect, identify and describe mesophotic seaweeds from Hawaii, adding to biodiversity data and herbarium collections, and new species discovery. Additionally, this research will allow the first investigation into genome-level adaptations of red, green, and brown seaweeds that live in the low-light environment of the mesophotic zone. Importantly, a key goal of this project includes training the next generation of algal biologists for current-day jobs through exposure to the most up-to-date DNA sequencing techniques, training in herbarium curation, genomics, bioinformatics, and ecological and evolutionary analyses. The goals and results of the research will be broadly communicated through numerous outreach events, scientific conferences, and peer-reviewed publications.The mesophotic algal flora of the Hawaiian Islands will be characterized using genome skimming and morphological analysis to speed the pathway to description of new species. Hawaiian language names for new species of seaweeds will be developed through a partnership with the NOAA Cultural Working Group. Closely related pairs of species from mesophotic and shallow marine habitats, including green, red, and brown algal species, will be analyzed with a comparative genomics approach. Data will be used to test hypotheses of biogeography in the tropical Pacific, evolution of mesophotic algae, and genomic adaptations to life in the mesophotic zone. This research leverages partnerships with scientists, agencies, and others that have been forged over the past decade to sample from remote field sites and mesophotic depths. Deliverables include permanently archived collections of Hawaiian mesophotic specimens, open access to all project data through a web accessible database (hosted at Bishop Museum), establishment of a baseline mesophotic algae dataset to aid identification and screening, systematic revision of select taxa, and an updated species checklist.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.