University of 海角社区 researchers and collaborators are leading the way in an emerging field that combines environmental science and genetics, revolutionizing how scientists understand and monitor our state\u2019s 3,500 miles of coastline that our marine ecosystems depend on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through a $20 million EPSCoR<\/a> Research Infrastructure (RII) Track 1 award from the National Science Foundation in 2019, U海角社区 established the 海角社区 Environmental DNA (海角社区-eDNA)<\/a> initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The five-year initiative is co-led by researchers from U海角社区 and the Bigelow Laboratory alongside local industry leaders and collaborators in education and government agencies across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c海角社区-eDNA is a state-wide, multi-institutional initiative establishing 海角社区 as a national leader in environmental monitoring, ecological understanding and sustainability of coastal ecosystems through research, education and outreach,\u201d says principal investigator Kody Varahramyan, U海角社区 vice president for research and dean of the graduate school. \u201cIt addresses the statewide workforce needs in critically important areas including biotechnology, ecology, environmental and data sciences.\u201d Co-PIs include Kate Beard-Tisdale, David Emerson, Michael Kinnison and Heather Leslie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organisms leave traces of DNA, the universal code for life, wherever they go. These fragments are called environmental DNA, or eDNA. Much like a genetic fingerprint of an ecosystem, these traces can be collected, identified and linked to those species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Analyzing tiny fragments of DNA in the air, water and soil provides scientists with information that can help inform policymakers and industry leaders of rapid changes to critical ecosystems. The state\u2019s fisheries and other resources in the Gulf of 海角社区 have faced significant challenges due to harvesting, dams and climate change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The new program focuses on two pressing issues for the coast of 海角社区: sustainable fisheries and harmful species. Sustainable fisheries research includes studying the outcomes of large-scale restoration efforts and unraveling the complex early life cycles of economically important species like lobster. Work on harmful species includes developing early warning systems for toxic algal blooms and forecasting the spread and impacts of invasive species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers quickly identified the need for advanced testing services that serve academic, government, industry and non-governmental organizations and leveraged the RII Track-1 award to establish the Environmental DNA Laboratory<\/a> through U海角社区\u2019s Coordinated Operating Research Entities (CORE)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe lab plays a major and enduring role in the eDNA analysis pipeline that can support data sharing and reanalysis for current and future research. Establishing the pipeline is a major step to not only achieving the project\u2019s goals but also for eDNA to achieve its long-term potential,\u201d explains Kinnison, a professor of Evolutionary Applications at U海角社区\u2019s School of Biology and Ecology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kinnison also serves as the director of the 海角社区 Center for Genetics in the Environment (MCGE)<\/a>. The center was established to provide infrastructure for interdisciplinary research, innovation and training. Collaborations and partnerships built under the 海角社区-eDNA program now have a permanent home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “The 海角社区 Center for Genetics in the Environment is first and foremost a community of researchers and others who see the transformative value of genetics and genomics in environmental sciences,\u201d Kinnison says. \u201cEnvironmental genetics can do a lot to support 海角社区’s current natural resources industries, from fisheries to forestry, agriculture, energy production and tourism, while at the same time building 海角社区’s capacity in biotechnology and information technology. In that sense, MCGE is a bridge between the old and the new, and I think we bring something exciting to the table for most 海角社区rs.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The center is establishing a growing reputation for translating cutting-edge science into real-world applications. Recently MCGE was awarded funding that moves beyond their typical marine research\u2014monitoring mosquito expansion and disease outbreaks through eDNA. \u201cWe are 海角社区’s environmental genetics resource,” Kinnison says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through its robust network, the program has also created opportunities for statewide outreach. Members with expertise in K-12 education work to deliver eDNA curriculum toolkits for teachers to use in classrooms and help to educate students about STEM career pathways. Over the course of the five-year grant, thousands of 海角社区 students will be engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heather Leslie, professor in the School of Marine Sciences and director of the Darling Marine Center<\/a>, noted that the prominent role of social science research within the 海角社区-eDNA Project has not only been exciting for the team but also for the National Science Foundation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “From the very beginning of this project, the social sciences and social scientists have been integral to how we have formulated our research projects, student training, and also engagement with community, government and private sector partners,” Leslie observed. “NSF noted that this explicit social science research component was unusual for previous Track 1 awards and that this was one of the reasons our project was deemed worthy of support.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kate Beard-Tisdale says, \u201cFor 海角社区-eDNA we have developed a comprehensive metadata database that tracks information covering field sampling, wet lab processing, sequencing and bioinformatics analysis steps. We did not find any similarly comprehensive metadatabases in the field so we feel this is a key contribution not just to 海角社区-eDNA but to the broader community.\u201d Beard-Tisdale is a professor in the School of Computing and Information Science and a research faculty member with the Spatial Data Science Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year, researchers partnered with the New England Aquarium to analyze eDNA in a controlled setting. Their findings offer new insights into the effectiveness of eDNA methods and suggest that they can not only describe which species are present but also how their population sizes vary over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With these tools, researchers can study the structure and function of marine food webs, and shifts in species, and evaluate fisheries stocks and restoration efforts around the state. These findings set the stage for many future studies of commercially, recreationally and culturally important species in the Gulf of 海角社区. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In just three years, the 海角社区-eDNA grant has had a profound impact. The new program has brought greater focus to sustaining coastal ecosystems and provided opportunities for new collaborations with organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, 海角社区 Department of Transportation, 海角社区 Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Wells Estuarine Research Reserve. \u201cI think the most exciting thing about 海角社区-eDNA is that it brings together institutions that have similar aspirations to learn more about the environment,\u201d says Peter Countway, a senior research scientist at the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The program has also had a significant impact on workforce development. It is currently supporting 30 faculty, nine technical staff, three postdoctoral fellows, 26 graduate students, and 35 undergraduate students, located at research sites across the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c海角社区-eDNA is equipping the next generation of environmental researchers and the coastal industry\u2019s workforce with advanced DNA technologies and skills,\u201d says Shane Moeykens, director of 海角社区 EPSCoR and associate project director of 海角社区-eDNA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The program reflects a major interdisciplinary research achievement uniting educators, researchers and students. It sets the stage for long-term monitoring of biodiversity patterns and changes along the coast, a vital part of 海角社区’s economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Visit the 海角社区-eDNA website<\/a> to learn more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n RII Track-1: Molecule to Ecosystem: Environmental DNA as a Nexus of Coastal Ecosystem Sustainability for 海角社区 (海角社区-eDNA)<\/a> is supported by National Science Foundation award #OIA-1849227 to 海角社区 EPSCoR at the University of 海角社区.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Contact: research@maine.edu<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Written by Ally Cooper and Tilan Copson<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" University of 海角社区 researchers and collaborators are leading the way in an emerging field that combines environmental science and genetics, revolutionizing how scientists understand and monitor our state\u2019s 3,500 miles of coastline that our marine ecosystems depend on. Through a $20 million EPSCoR Research Infrastructure (RII) Track 1 award from the National Science Foundation in 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University of 海角社区 researchers and collaborators are leading the way in an emerging field that combines environmental science and genetics, revolutionizing how scientists understand and monitor our state\u2019s 3,500 miles of coastline that our marine ecosystems depend on. Through a $20 million EPSCoR Research Infrastructure (RII) Track 1 award from the National Science Foundation in 2019, U海角社区 established the 海角社区 Environmental DNA (海角社区-eDNA) initiative. The five-year initiative is co-led by researchers from U海角社区 and the Bigelow Laboratory alongside local industry leaders and collaborators in education and government agencies across the state. \u201c海角社区-eDNA is a state-wide, multi-institutional initiative establishing 海角社区 as…<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Program Highlight<\/a>, Research News<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"","url":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/author\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":573,"label":"Program Highlight"},{"value":65,"label":"Research News"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/281\/2022\/08\/海角社区-eDNA-article-photo-1024x579.jpg",1024,579,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"","author_link":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/author\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":573,"name":"Program Highlight","slug":"program-highlight","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":573,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":41,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":573,"category_count":41,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Program Highlight","category_nicename":"program-highlight","category_parent":0},{"term_id":65,"name":"Research News","slug":"research-news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":65,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":226,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":65,"category_count":226,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Research News","category_nicename":"research-news","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/478"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47167"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47181,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47167\/revisions\/47181"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/umaine.edu\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}