Better known as rockcress, Boechera holboelli is a perennial plant found in the woodlands. It belongs to the family Brassicaceae and is related several vegetables such as mustard, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, kale and turnips, as well as the model systems Arabidopsis thaliana and Capsella rubella, both of which were sequenced by the DOE JGI. Unlike…
Why sequence Dothideomycetes plant pathogens?
The largest and most diverse group of fungi, Dothideomycetes are found on every continent and play key roles in maintaining the local ecosystems by degrading biomass and contributing to regulating the carbon cycle. Many of these fungi are also tolerant of environmental extremes such as heat, humidity and cold. Among the members of this group…
Why sequence Phlebiopsis gigantea?
Cone-bearing trees such as spruces, pines and firs are softwoods that can survive in cold temperatures and acidic soil. Primarily found in the Northern hemisphere, coniferous forests thrive in regions with long, harsh winters and have adapted to reduce water loss in freezing conditions. These forests are marked by thick canopies that reduce the amount…
Why sequence Postia placenta?
Commonly found in forest ecosystems, brown rot fungi such as Postia placenta are a major cause of wood decay and are thought to be responsible for 10 percent of the wood decay in the annual timber harvest. Unlike white-rot fungi, however, brown-rot fungi can rapidly break down the cellulose in wood without affecting the lignin….
Why sequence four Labyrinthulomycete species?
These common marine microorganisms with the tongue-twisting name behave like fungi in the ocean ecosystem but are actually protists. Their abundance in the ocean varies with the changing seasons. They feed on non-living organic matter such as decaying algae, plants such as mangrove leaves and salt marsh grass or even animal tissues. Species that belong…
Why sequence metagenomic approach to managed wetland “carbon farming”?
Wetlands store more carbon per unit area than any ecosystem, and wetland restoration is a means by which society can sequester carbon, reduce flood dangers and improve wildlife habitat and water quality, yet the microbial communities inhabiting freshwater wetlands are only minimally characterized. This first-of-a-kind carbon sequestration project will employ metagenomic, metatranscriptomic and single-cell sequencing…
Why sequence soda lake and soil metagenomics?
Sequencing the metagenomes of microbial communities that inhabit soda lakes and soda solonchak (salt marsh) soils will uncover the microbial diversity of these extreme environments, and provide insight into the molecular mechanisms for adaptation to high pH and high salinity, the CO2-uptake mechanisms, and the pathways that generate energy from sulfur compounds. In addition, the…
Why sequence marine bacteria-dinoflagellate interactions?
Interactions between marine bacteria and phytoplankton influence the fate of one of the largest active carbon reservoirs on Earth. To explore these associations and understand how they influence they influence the release of climate-relevant gases from the ocean to the atmosphere, this project focuses on a transcriptomic analysis of a bacteria-dinoflagellate model system in which…
Why sequence metagenomics in freshwater lakes?
Aquatic microbial communities represent one of the largest reservoirs of genetic and biochemical diversity on the planet, and metagenomic studies have led to the discovery of novel gene families and a deeper understanding of how microbial communities mediate the flow of carbon and energy. However, most of these studies have been based on a static…
Why sequence sulfur cycling in the Frasassi aquifer?
The terrestrial subsurface remains one of the least explored microbial habitats on earth, and is critical for understanding pollutant migration and attenuation, subsurface processes such as limestone dissolution (affecting porosity), and the search for life elsewhere in the solar system and beyond. The deep and sulfidic Frasassi aquifer (of Ancona, Italy) has emerged as a…