Collaborative Research: AToL: PorToL - The Porifera Tree of Life Project

Information

  • NSF Award
  • 0829791
Owner
  • Award Id
    0829791
  • Award Effective Date
    10/1/2008 - 15 years ago
  • Award Expiration Date
    9/30/2014 - 9 years ago
  • Award Amount
    $ 447,063.00
  • Award Instrument
    Continuing grant

Collaborative Research: AToL: PorToL - The Porifera Tree of Life Project

A grant has been awarded to the University of Alabama at Birmingham under the direction of Dr. Robert W. Thacker for assembling the phylogenetic tree of sponges. Sponges are an ancient animal group with simple body construction. They are extremely efficient at filtering bacteria and other small food particles from the water in which they live, with thousands of different sponge species found in the world's oceans and freshwater habitats. Along with their important ecological roles, sponges can yield potential new medicines and host an extraordinary diversity of microbial life. Despite their widespread presence in aquatic habitats, the study of sponges has lagged behind that of other more charismatic marine fauna. Sponges pose special difficulties for those interested in deciphering their taxonomy, classification, and evolutionary relationships because sponge bodies are quite plastic, varying from one individual to the next. These difficulties hamper progress in basic studies of sponge biology and biodiversity, including comparative studies aimed at understanding the evolution of animals and efforts to conserve or economically exploit aquatic ecosystems. Using molecular genetic data from 8,000 sponge specimens, this project will provide a phylogenetic context that will improve the understanding of all aspects of sponge biology. <br/><br/>Proper Incorporation of sponges in the Tree of Life is imperative, because there is wide consensus that sponges comprise the primary trunk leading to more complex animals. Data from this project will test this hypothesis and resolve many "branches" within the sponge tree of life. This project will assist communication and collaboration within the international sponge research community by creating an internet-accessible database. This project will provide numerous outreach and educational opportunities, including undergraduate and graduate student training, intensive field courses, professional workshops, and conference symposia. This project benefits society as a whole by helping to track the origin and distribution of crucial genes (and chemical markers) that are useful in medicine and industry and by establishing new model systems for the study of early animal evolution.

  • Program Officer
    Simon Malcomber
  • Min Amd Letter Date
    8/27/2008 - 15 years ago
  • Max Amd Letter Date
    7/5/2011 - 12 years ago
  • ARRA Amount

Institutions

  • Name
    Nova Southeastern University
  • City
    FORT LAUDERDALE
  • State
    FL
  • Country
    United States
  • Address
    3301 COLLEGE AVE
  • Postal Code
    333147796
  • Phone Number
    9542625366

Investigators

  • First Name
    Jose
  • Last Name
    Lopez
  • Email Address
    joslo@nova.edu
  • Start Date
    8/27/2008 12:00:00 AM