New approaches for high throughput species discovery and delimitation within unicellular eukaryotes exemplified by choanoflagellates

• Applicant: Dr. Frank Nitsche
• Subject Area: Systematics and Morphology (Zoology)
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 447015140

In the second phase of funding we target to implement the findings of the previous phase into new approaches for a holistic, high-throughput taxonomic research on the species delimitation of choanoflagellates. We already designed the first functional group specific primers for a combined NGS metabarcoding approach which will, in combination with species-specific FISH probes and fluorescent labeling by transfection, decipher the relation of geno- to morphotype. In addition, we plan to use micro-fluidity devices for cell sorting to obtain clonal cultures, single cell PCR, transcriptomics, autecology and morphological characterization. The main areas of interest are Danish waters (Kattegat and Isefjord), Mediterranean Sea (Barcelona), UK (Southampton waters and Humber estuary), tropical marine aquaria (Cologne zoo) and Andaman Sea (Thailand).Together with our cooperation partners, we aim to substantially add to protist taxonomy, in particular choanoflagellates, by applying new approaches for a high efficient cultivation method.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1991: Taxon-Omics: New approaches for discovering and naming biodiversity