HighThroughFROGS | Reviving ghosts of taxonomy past: Identifying cryptic species using high-throughput sequencing of historical museum specimens for Asian ranids with gastromyzophorous tadpoles

Summary
My postdoctoral study is designed to develop protocols and procedures to obtain genomic DNA data from degraded old museum specimens using HTS (e.g., exome-capture and/ or mtDNA genome sequencing) using SE Asian frogs as focal taxa. Specimens housed in natural history museums are essential raw materials for studies of cryptic speciation that is very common in the tropics. These studies require molecular genetic tools that, to date, could only be applied to freshly collected tissue samples. Because HTS is based on short-fragment sequencing technology, it is more effective at obtaining sequence data from historical specimens than Sanger sequencing, particularly for very old samples collected more than 100 years ago. HTS methods will be tested to assess the phylogenetic and taxonomic position of the Asian ranid frogs with gastromyzophorous tadpoles, a group that has defied taxonomic clarification for decades. This proposed study is well aligned to the Work Programme of Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions. The results of this study will be a valuable baseline to assess the feasibility of and to improve exome-capture techniques aimed at retrieving historical DNA from type specimens for future studies. This study will be the first to investigate the evolution of gastromyzophory in Asian ranid frogs. It will also emphasize the need to apply modern techniques in tropical countries with high biodiversity as a critical step in quantifying its diversity and developing conservation actions for cryptic species. Apart from that, this study is an exceptional step towards advancing my career and establish myself as an independent researcher in the field of phylogenetics systematics. Furthermore, I will be able to actively contribute to disseminate my science to broader audience and play an important role as a catalyst for a long term collaborations between the institutions in Germany, USA, and Indonesia in phylogenomic, systematics, and biogeographic studies.
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More information & hyperlinks
Web resources: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/846040
Start date: 01-03-2020
End date: 30-11-2023
Total budget - Public funding: 246 669,12 Euro - 246 669,00 Euro
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Original description

My postdoctoral study is designed to develop protocols and procedures to obtain genomic DNA data from degraded old museum specimens using HTS (e.g., exome-capture and/ or mtDNA genome sequencing) using SE Asian frogs as focal taxa. Specimens housed in natural history museums are essential raw materials for studies of cryptic speciation that is very common in the tropics. These studies require molecular genetic tools that, to date, could only be applied to freshly collected tissue samples. Because HTS is based on short-fragment sequencing technology, it is more effective at obtaining sequence data from historical specimens than Sanger sequencing, particularly for very old samples collected more than 100 years ago. HTS methods will be tested to assess the phylogenetic and taxonomic position of the Asian ranid frogs with gastromyzophorous tadpoles, a group that has defied taxonomic clarification for decades. This proposed study is well aligned to the Work Programme of Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions. The results of this study will be a valuable baseline to assess the feasibility of and to improve exome-capture techniques aimed at retrieving historical DNA from type specimens for future studies. This study will be the first to investigate the evolution of gastromyzophory in Asian ranid frogs. It will also emphasize the need to apply modern techniques in tropical countries with high biodiversity as a critical step in quantifying its diversity and developing conservation actions for cryptic species. Apart from that, this study is an exceptional step towards advancing my career and establish myself as an independent researcher in the field of phylogenetics systematics. Furthermore, I will be able to actively contribute to disseminate my science to broader audience and play an important role as a catalyst for a long term collaborations between the institutions in Germany, USA, and Indonesia in phylogenomic, systematics, and biogeographic studies.

Status

CLOSED

Call topic

MSCA-IF-2018

Update Date

28-04-2024
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Horizon 2020
H2020-EU.1. EXCELLENT SCIENCE
H2020-EU.1.3. EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
H2020-EU.1.3.2. Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
MSCA-IF-2018