Symbiont Ciliate Systematics and Metagenomics
Our project involves the assembly, annotation, and systems analysis of whole genomes of ciliates and their symbionts. Symbioses between anaerobic ciliates and methanogenic archaea are ubiquitous in anoxic habitats and the diversity and specificity of these associations largely unknown (Fenchel and Finlay 1990). Acquisition of these symbionts is thought to have been an evolutionary strategy for exploiting otherwise inhospitable habitats, since the methanogens’ consumption of H2 during methanogenesis increases the thermodynamic favorability of host fermentative metabolism (Hackstein et al. 2001). The project team will acquire sequenced genomic data from the Beinhart lab and assemble the genomes of the ciliate host and the metagenomics of the methanogenic symbionts. After assessment of the assembled genomes and metagenomes we will annotate assemblies, explore phylogenetic relationships, and map coupled metabolic pathways (Klemm and Dougan 2016; Vollmers et al. 2017). We expect to present assembled and analyzed genomes, phylogenetic trees, comparison of tree topology, species delimitation, and metabolic pathway coupling. All coding will be made publicly available through a github repository and site.