Primary productivity is the transformation of chemical or solar energy to biomass and supports all life on earth. Photosynthesis is light-dependent productivity that uses sunlight’s energy to fix inorganic carbon into biomass. However, some bacteria and archaea are chemosynthetic and use chemical energy for the conversion of inorganic carbon to biomass. One can measure primary…
Why Sequence the Oyster Mushroom?
Pleurotus ostreatus, the oyster mushroom, is an active lignin degrader in the forests. Lignin is the second most abundant biopolymer on Earth and its breakdown is a necessary step for making cellulose (the most abundant carbon biopolymer) accessible to further enzymatic processes. The understanding of the whole-genome regulation of P. ostreatus lignocellulolytic enzymes would facilitate…
Why Sequence Peronosporomycetes?
This project entails the sequencing of 26 individual mitochondrial genomes that reflect the diversity inherent in the Peronosporomycetes, an economically important group of lower eukaryotes traditionally referred to as oomycetes. These “protistans” are ecological equivalents of fungi and share morphological, biochemical, and molecular characteristics with the chromophytic algae as members of the newly recognized kingdom…
Why Sequence Neurospora?
Among the many candidates for genome sequencing, what makes Neurospora stand out? Most importantly for comparative biology, Neurospora species are characterized by genetic and reproductive isolation, and phylogenetic relationships among the species are well supported with carefully estimated divergence times. It is clear from studies of yeast, worms, and primates that comparative genomics is most…
Why Sequence Heterobasidion annosum?
Heterobasidion annosum s.l. is a common fungal pathogen in conifer plantations and in natural forests. Economically, annosum root rot is the most devastating disease of conifers in the northern hemisphere. Modern forest management and establishment of large-scale monocultures have contributed to an increase in disease incidence, and there is a need for new control strategies….
Why Sequence Guillardia theta and Bigelowiella natans?
The process of endosymbiosis, where one organism lives inside another, has been a monumental force in the origin and diversification of eukaryotic life. The primary endosymbiotic origin of plastids (chloroplasts) occurred more than a billion years ago and spawned three lineages–the green algae (and their land plant relatives), red algae, and glaucophytes–whose energy-generating capabilities paved…
Why Sequence Fragilariopsis cylindrus?
Diatoms are microscopic unicellular algae distributed throughout the world’s marine and freshwater ecosystems, including ice systems. Numerous estimates suggest that, as a group, these organisms are responsible for as much as 20% of global photosynthesis, which is comparable to the amount of primary productivity generated by all the terrestrial rainforests combined. In polar regions, where…
Why Sequence Reef-Building Corals and Dinoflagellate Symbionts?
Endosymbiosis, in which a microbial partner lives within the cells of a larger host organism, has played a crucial role in shaping life on Earth from the evolution of eukaryotic organelles (mitochondria and chloroplasts), to the formation and regulation of ecosystems. In tropical marine environments, perhaps the most significant symbiosis is that between calcifying corals…
Why Sequence Chestnut Blight Fungus?
Cryphonectria parasitica, the chestnut blight fungus, is responsible for epidemics that caused the destruction of hundreds of millions of mature chestnut trees in forests of North America and Europe during the first part of the 20th century. The discovery of a group of RNA viruses, now classified in the family Hypoviridae (hypoviruses), that reduce the…
Why Sequence Cassava?
Cassava (Manihot esculenta) is an excellent energy source. Its roots contain 20-40% starch that costs 15-30% less to produce per hectare than starch from corn, making it an attractive and strategic source of renewable energy. Cassava grows in diverse environments, from very dry to extremely humid, from acidic to alkaline soils, from sea level to…