Ultracold storage facility for evolutionary and ecological genetics

分子标记给生态学、进化生物学和保护遗传学带来了革命性的变化。高分辨率DNA标记使人们能够对物种形成的时间和机制、交配系统和性选择、群落动态、范围限制的演变以及濒危物种的保护等基础研究主题有了关键的见解。这种研究工作通常涉及在多年的时间里收集每个项目100个甚至数千个组织样本，从这些组织中提取DNA，然后用来调查野生种群的遗传多样性。为了确保这种分子分析样品的可行性，最好的选择是将它们保持在恒定的超低(-80摄氏度)温度下。在这里，我们申请资金购买三个24立方英尺-86度的冰柜，以支持八名生态与进化学院和大约40名学生和博士后研究员/年的实验室的研究。在皇后大学生物系工作。我们的需求非常迫切，因为我们只有两个冰柜，其中一个已经有10多年的历史了。我们的许多样品目前都储存在常规的-25摄氏度的步入式冰柜中，这是一个站不住脚的长期储存选择。因此，我们甚至连目前的样品都没有能力，更不用说将来将收集的样品(每年4-5000个样品)。如果冰柜出现故障，没有后备。所要求的冰柜配置将安全地存储我们当前的组织和DNA收集，并允许存储在可预见的未来预期的样本，并将为我们提供一个升级和集成我们的编目系统的机会，以便它可以由我们的分子研究助理管理。

Molecular markers have revolutionized ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation genetics. High resolution DNA markers permit key insights into such foundational research themes as the timing and mechanisms of speciation, mating systems and sexual selection, community dynamics, the evolution of range limits, and conservation of species at risk. Such research endeavours typically involve collecting 100s and sometimes 1000s of tissue samples per project over many years, tissues from which DNA is extracted and then used to survey genetic diversity among wild populations. To ensure viability of samples for such molecular analyses the best option is to maintain them at constant, ultra low (-80 degrees C) temperatures. Here we request funding to purchase three 24 cubic feet -86 degree freezers to support the research in the laboratories of eight ecology and evolution faculty and approximately 40 students and postdoctoral fellows/yr. in the Department of Biology at Queen's University. Our need is dire as we have only two freezers, one of which is over 10 years old. Many of our samples are currently stored in a regular - 25 degree C walk-in freezer, an untenable long term storage option. We thus have no capacity for even our current samples, let alone ones that will be collected in the future (4-5000 samples/yr.) and no back-up should a freezer fail  The freezer configuration requested will securely house our current tissue and DNA collection, plus allow storage of samples anticipated for the foreseeable future, and will provide us with an opportunity to upgrade and integrate our cataloguing system so that it may be managed by our molecular research associate.