More Like this

1. Transforming permafrost coastal systems: Advancing scientific discovery through international collaboration

   https://doi.org/10.32907/RO-110-1013  

   Jones, Benjamin M; Lantuit, H. (November 2019, Research Outreach)

   In the Alaskan Arctic, permafrost coastal systems are eroding at rates more than double those of the past. Rampant environmental change is putting new pressures on Arctic coastal dynamics, with the loss of landscapes, cultural heritage, infrastructure, and communities. Dr Benjamin Jones (Water and Environmental Research Center, Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks) and Professor Hugues Lantuit (Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Germany) are working with scientists and stakeholders from across Arctic nations to develop the Permafrost Coastal Systems Network (PerCS-Net), a forum for reinvigorated research, knowledge integration, and management of environmental change at the fringes of the Arctic. 

   more » « less
2. A Computational Inflection for Scientific Discovery

   Tom Hope; Doug Downey; Oren Etzioni; Daniel S. Weld; Eric Horvitz (May 2022, arXiv:2205.02007)
3. Seasonal and spatial patterns in diazotroph community composition at Station ALOHA

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1130158  

   Turk-Kubo, Kendra A.; Henke, Britt A.; Gradoville, Mary R.; Magasin, Jonathan D.; Church, Matthew J.; Zehr, Jonathan P. (May 2023, Frontiers in Marine Science)

   Dinitrogen (N₂) fixation is carried out by specialized microbes, called diazotrophs, and is a major source of nitrogen supporting primary production in oligotrophic oceans. One of the best-characterized diazotroph habitats is the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG), where warm, chronically N-limited surface waters promote year-round N₂fixation. At Station ALOHA (A Long-Term Oligotrophic Habitat Assessment) in the NPSG, N₂fixation is typically ascribed to conspicuous, filamentous cyanobacterial diazotrophs (TrichodesmiumandRichelia), unicellular free-livingCrocosphaera, and the UCYN-A/haptophyte symbiosis, based on using microscopy and quantitative PCR (qPCR). However, the diazotroph community in this ecosystem is diverse and includes non-cyanobacterial diazotrophs (NCDs). We investigated the diversity, depth distributions, and seasonality of diazotroph communities at Stn. ALOHA using high throughput sequencing (HTS) ofnifHgene fragments from samples collected throughout the euphotic zone (0-175 m) at near-monthly intervals from June 2013 to July 2016. The UCYN-A symbioses andTrichodesmiumsp. consistently had the highest relative abundances and seasonal patterns that corroborated qPCR-based analyses. Other prevalent community members included a newCrocosphaera-like species, and several NCDs affiliated with γ- and δ-proteobacteria. Notably, some of the NCDs appear to be stable components of the community at Stn. ALOHA, having also been reported in prior studies. Depth and temporal patterns in microdiversity within two major diazotroph groups (Trichodesmiumand UCYN-A) suggested that sub-populations are adapted to time- and depth-dependent environmental variation. A network analysis of the upper euphotic (0-75 m) HTS data identified two modules that reflect a diazotroph community structure with seasonal turnover between UCYN-A/Gamma A, andTrichodesmium/Crocosphaera. It also reveals the seasonality of several important cyanobacteria and NCDs about which little is known, including a putative δ-proteobacterial phylotype originally discovered at Stn. ALOHA. Collectively, these results underscore the importance of couplingnifHgene HTS with other molecular techniques to obtain a comprehensive view of diazotroph community composition in the marine environment and reveal several understudied diazotroph groups that may contribute to N₂fixation in the NPSG. 

   more » « less
4. Temporal dynamics of total microbial biomass and particulate detritus at Station ALOHA

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pocean.2022.102803  

   Karl, David M.; Björkman, Karin M.; Church, Matthew J.; Fujieki, Lance A.; Grabowski, Eric M.; Letelier, Ricardo M. (July 2022, Progress in Oceanography)
5. A comparative genomics multitool for scientific discovery and conservation

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2876-6  

   Genereux, Diane P.; Serres, Aitor; Armstrong, Joel; Johnson, Jeremy; Marinescu, Voichita D.; Murén, Eva; Juan, David; Bejerano, Gill; Casewell, Nicholas R.; Chemnick, Leona G.; et al (November 2020, Nature)

   null (Ed.)

   The Zoonomia Project is investigating the genomics of shared and specialized traits in eutherian mammals. Here we provide genome assemblies for 131 species, of which all but 9 are previously uncharacterized, and describe a whole-genome alignment of 240 species of considerable phylogenetic diversity, comprising representatives from more than 80% of mammalian families. We find that regions of reduced genetic diversity are more abundant in species at a high risk of extinction, discern signals of evolutionary selection at high resolution and provide insights from individual reference genomes. By prioritizing phylogenetic diversity and making data available quickly and without restriction, the Zoonomia Project aims to support biological discovery, medical research and the conservation of biodiversity. 

   more » « less