This project will dramatically increase our knowledge of the ecology, biodiversity, and phylogeny of the phylum tardigrada through new undergraduate research programs at Baker University, Fresno City College, and Brigham Young University. The teams will conduct a biotic survey of North America by collecting tardigrades at the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites. Student researchers will be trained to collect, identify, sequence, and report on tardigrades. Their results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and available over the internet on the Tardigrade Reference Center (TRC) at the Academy of Natural Sciences with keys, descriptions, images, DNA sequences, and distribution maps.
The project will discover new species, expand the continental diversity, and link DNA sequences to voucher specimens in order to ascertain species associations, distributional patterns, and genetic variation of the tardigrades. The TRC will target scientists, educators and hobbyists who use the Internet to find data, facts, and teaching activities. The project models the collaboration between the undergraduate, research, and museum communities. It also fosters communication among specialists, and demonstrates the blending of morphological and molecular approaches to species identification. The project will expose many students to scientific inquiry such that they will be prepared for careers in science, education, and government.
The dual purposes of this project were to provide research experience to students at small undergraduate institutions and to advance knowledge about the little studied phylum Tardigrada. This was a collaborative partnership among two small schools (Fresno City College and Baker University), a large school (Brigham Young University) and a national museum (Academy of Natural Science). The NSF Long Term Environmental Research (LTER) sites were chosen because they provided a wide variety of habitats and are accessible. In the five years of the project we have hosted sixty-five undergraduate research students. Thirty-one have been women, five have been African-American, four have been of Hispanic ancestry, two were Asian, and one was a Pacific Islander. 99% of our student researchers have or will matriculate to a four year school, graduated, or now attend a graduate or professional school, greatly exceeding school and national averages. 27,520 tardigrades were collected from 2,490 habitat samples that will be housed at the Academy of Natural Sciences. To date we have identified 12 families, 29 genera, and 135 species. Students and PIs have made 30 professional presentations (posters & talks) at regional, national, and international meetings. Thirteen students and PIs have co-authored 10 reviewed articles, four general interest papers, and have four articles in press and two more submitted. The team has expanded the known species diversity of 11 states, extended the distribution of more than a hundred species, described a new genus and four new species. We pioneered the use of DNA as part of tardigrade species descriptions and developed new SEM techniques. We have fostered the development of undergraduate research at our institutions. Baker’s Biology degrees now include a research requirement. Fresno City College and BYU have integrated tardigrades and research into several courses and many students have used tardigrades for their senior projects. Baker’s Honors Convocation has evolved into a Scholars Symposium where students from all departments present their research to faculty, administrators, Trustees, parents and other students. Our public outreach includes tardigrade education for middle and high school students and we helped students at the University of Central Arkansas identify the tardigrades on their campus. Our students have participated in five National Park Service BioBlitzs. BYU received a Teacher Supplemental award while FCC added a student supplement for their field trip to Alaska. Tardigrade Team students have been awarded more than 30 research and honors grants and scholarships and their presentations have won awards at local, regional and national meetings. Professional collaboration has included Dr. Eric Linder in statistics, Dr. Jeff Miller in GIS and mapping and Dr. Clark Beasley in taxonomy. FCC and Baker have leveraged grant funds to acquire research level microscopes and by sharing with faculty colleagues have advanced other undergraduate research projects. At LTER sites, our students experienced world class research projects. They worked in the field and lab alongside graduate students and scientists at the Harvard Research Forest, Trout Lake, and Toolit LTERs. In addition, they worked in the research facilities at the Hopkins Marine Laboratory, the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), and the UC Biological Research Station on Santa Cruz Island. At our workshops, Adams taught the extraction and sequencing of DNA, Miller taught tardigrade taxonomy, and Johansson taught field ecology. Student research has compared urban and rural tardigrades and looked into the impact of pH on distribution. Students investigated an altitudinal transect in the California, tardigrades in the canopy of a Kansas tree, and found a new species of marine tardigrade in Florida. At the North Temperate LTER students found rare species and in Utah, a plesomorphic tardigrade genus was recovered. In Alaska, students tripled the states diversity and discovered a new species of a genus known only from the southern hemisphere; complicating the biogeography and the evolution of the phylum. We developed two web sites. The first is our specimen management system at Fresno City College, which has more than 15,000 records. Many with multiple images and coded onto Goggle maps. This data base has been invaluable in reducing research time for confirming identifications. It has already been accessed by international researchers. The second site, the Tardigrade Reference Center is a monographic site with both educational and scientific sides. The site is functional, is being loaded, and will soon provide the tardigrade community with publication based reference data. The site has a searchable bibliography with more than 97% of the world’s literature. It includes a species distribution module also using Google maps. The species description includes characteristics, distribution, literature, images, and history. Finally, a multi-character species identification Key will aid students and researchers all over the world. We achieved all project objectives while training students in networking, research, scientific writing, and public presentation. Some of our students discovered they enjoyed the rigor of the research process and the exhilaration of discovery.
