Resource Report

URL: https://wiki.cgb.indiana.edu/display/DGC/Home

Proper Citation: Daphnia genomics consortium (RRID:SCR_008148)

Description: The Daphnia Genomics Consortium (DGC) is an international network of investigators committed to mounting the freshwater crustacean Daphnia as a model system for ecology, evolution and the environmental sciences. Along with research activities, the DGC is: (1) coordinating efforts towards developing the Daphnia genomic toolbox, which will then be available for use by the general community; (2) facilitating collaborative cross-disciplinary investigations; (3) developing bioinformatic strategies for organizing the rapidly growing genome database; and (4) exploring emerging technologies to improve high throughput analyses of molecular and ecological samples. If we are to succeed in creating a new model system for modern life-sciences research, it will need to be a community-wide effort. Research activities of the DGC are primarily focused on creating genomic tools and information. When completed, the current projects will offer a first view of the Daphnia genome''s topography, including regions of high and low recombination, the distribution of transposable, repetitive and regulatory elements, the size and structure of genes and of their neighborhoods. This information is crucial in formulating testable hypotheses relating genetics and demographics to the evolutionary potential or constraints of natural populations. Projects aiming to compile identifiable genes with their function are also underway, together with robust methods to verify these findings. Finally, these tools are being tested, by exploring their uses in key ecological and toxicological investigations. Each project benefits from the leadership and expertise of many individuals. For further details, begin by contacting the project directors. The DGC consists of biologists from a broad spectrum of subdisciplines, including limnology, ecotoxicology, quantitative and population genetics, systematics, molecular biology and evolution, developmental biology, genomics and bioinformatics. In many regards, the rapid early success of the consortium results from its grass-roots origin promoting an international composition, under a cooperative model, with significant scientific breadth. We hold to this approach in building this network and encourage more people to participate. All the while, the DGC is structured to effectively reach specific goals. The consortium includes an advisory board (composed of experts of the various subdisciplines), whose responsibility is to act as the research community''s agent in guiding the development of Daphnia genomic resources. The advisors communicate directly to DGC members, who are either contributing genomic tools or actively seeking funds for this function. The consortium''s main body (given the widespread interest in applying genomic tools in environmental studies) are the affiliates, who make use of these tools for their research and who are soliciting support.

Synonyms: DGC

Resource Type: database, data or information resource

Keywords: ecological, ecology, ecotoxicology, element, environmental science, evolution, evolutionary, freshwater, gene, genetic, basic research knowledge base, bioinformatic, biology, crustacean, daphnia, demographic, developmental, genomic, limnology, model, molecular, natural, recombination, regulatory, repetitive, size, structure, system, systematic, topography, toxicological, transposable