Opportunities and Challenges for Metagenomics in Management of Great Lakes Ecosystems

Session: 16. - How can Microbial Metagenomics Inform Management of Great Lakes Ecosystems?

Tom Edge, Environment and Climate Change Canada, [email protected]
Cindy Bell, Genome Canada, [email protected]

Abstract

Metagenomics advances are providing new discoveries with important implications for how we will assess and monitor aquatic ecosystems in the future.  It can be anticipated there will be a need to better integrate microbiome and holobiont perspectives into assessment of water quality and the health of aquatic plants and animals.  There will be opportunities to more comprehensively characterize microbial water quality and better predict the impacts from changes to communities of bacteria, fungi, algae and viruses in aquatic ecosystems.  There will also be opportunities to identify new indicator microorganisms/genes for early warning or remediation monitoring tools.  The Canadian federal government is investigating metagenomics in the water sector, such as Genome Canada's large-scale genomics ATRAPP research project applying metagenomics to better predict, detect and prevent cyanotoxin outbreaks.  The federal Genomics Research and Development Initiative (GRDI) allocates funding across departments for projects that support public policy needs such as the interdepartmental EcoBiomics Project applying metagenomics at the soil - water interface.  An overview will be provided of one EcoBiomics subproject as an example of opportunities and challenges for integrating metagenomics into a federal-provincial water quality monitoring program for phosphorus reductions in the Thames River - Lake St. Clair - Lake Erie corridor.

1. Keyword
microbiological studies

2. Keyword
water quality

3. Keyword
ecosystem health

4. Additional Keyword
Metagenomics