AT THE INTERSECTION OF ECOLOGY AND GENOMICS
Our Collaborations
We pride ourselves on working with multiple state, tribal and federal groups. Most of the work we conduct in our lab would not be possible without these partnerships.
Gun Lake Tribe
Our lab works with the Gun Lake Tribe Environmental Department on two projects that aim to use genetic analysis to aid with conservation and management.
Lake Sturgeon Restoration
The first project is associated with the Lake Sturgeon Restoration Streamside Rearing Partnership. This is a collaborative project between the Gun Lake Tribe, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Wildlife and Fisheries and GVSU. The goal of this program is to restore populations of lake sturgeon to the Kalamazoo River. Our lab assesses the genetic diversity of individuals reared in the streamside facility to insure there is not a loss of genetic diversity in these populations over time.
Wild Rice Conservation
Wild rice is an ecologically and culturally important grain throughout the state of Michigan. We have two species of wild rice, Zizania aquatica and Z. palustris. Our lab is working with the Gun Lake Tribe to understand both genetic and environmental factors influencing the health and reproductive success of wild rice populations they manage.
University of Michigan
& Fairfax County Forest Pest Branch
We are currently working with individuals at the University of Michigan and Fairfax County's Forest Pest Branch in Virginia to test whether our eDNA traps can be used to detect Beech Leaf Disease.
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Beech Leaf Disease (BLD) is caused by a nematode, Litylenchus crenatae mccannii, and is lethal to ornamental and native beech trees. This disease was first detected in the United States in Ohio in 2012. Now, BLD has been detected in 13 states. The early signs of BLD are dark stripes between veins of leaves in the spring. If a beech sapling is infected, it will likely die within 5 years, while mature trees can live for several years after infection.
Canadian Forest Service (CFS) & Invasive Species Centre
The CFS & the Invasive Species Centre are using eDNA traps designed by our lab to conduct citizen-science programs focused on early detection of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA). Currently they have deployed 100 traps across Ontario, and have traps in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.
Our lab has been also trialing other sampling methods developed by CFS for HWA detection in Michigan. Recently we assessed the use of ball sampling. This method includes shooting a velcro covered ball through hemlock trees. If HWA is present, the velcro should collect the white woolly material (ovisacs) associated with HWA infestations. We coupled this approach with down stream genetic analysis to see if this could be used as an additional eDNA sampling method.
The Otter Lab at AWRI
Collaborator/Web Design Arch Nemesis
Our lab works closely with the Otter Lab at AWRI on their COVID wastewater surveillance work. Once samples collected from wastewater treatment plants surpass 10,000 gc/100 mL, the samples are sequenced on our Illumina MiSeq sequencing system. This allows us to know the genetic variants that are present within the samples and can help track their spread over time.
