Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

The validation and quantification system for nucleic acids and proteins includes one full spectrum UV/Vis spectrophotometer, NanoDrop 8000 and one Gel Doc XRS System. This equipment will support diverse research projects which can be categorized into three main areas: genomics, population genetics and conservation. 1) Ecological Genomics: The requested equipment will be used for studying the evolution of invasiveness in aquatic invertebrates as well as the role of recombination in the long term evolution of sexual and asexual lineages. It will enable the high through-put DNA amplification capacity necessary for screening the genome-wide genetic polymorphism in sexual and asexual Daphnia lineages. 2) Environmental Genomics: The requested system will support broad ecological genomics projects that combine interdisciplinary perspective to provide broad-based insights into the mutational effects of chronic heavy metal loads. These projects aims to directly estimate genome-wide mutation rates and spectra in aquatic model organisms (e.g., Daphnia pulex), and to assess the impact of heavy metals on deleterious mutation loads in natural populations through comparative genomic analyses of contaminated and uncontaminated sites. 3) Conservation: The application of molecular approach to conservation biology has revolutionized the management of endangered species and ecosystems. The requested equipment will play a key role in the identification of routes of aquatic species invasions.