Development and Applications of a Mobile Ecogenomic Sensor
Abstract
Modern molecular biological analytical methods have revolutionized our understanding of organism diversity in the ocean. Such advancements have profound implications for use in environmental research and resource management. However, the application of such technology to comprehensively document biodiversity and understand ecosystem processes in an ocean setting will require repeated observations over vast space and time scales. A fundamental challenge associated with meeting that requirement is acquiring discrete samples over spatial scales and frequencies necessary to document cause-and-effect relationships that link biological processes to variable physical and chemical gradients in rapidly changing water masses. Accomplishing that objective using ships alone is not practical. We are working to overcome this fundamental challenge by developing a new generation of biological instrumentation, the third generation ESP (3G ESP). The 3G ESP is a robotic device that automates sample collection, preservation, and/or in situ processing for real-time target molecule detection. Here we present the development of the 3G ESP and its integration with a Tethys-class Long Range AUV (LRAUV), and demonstrate its ability to collect and preserve material for subsequent metagenomic and quantitative PCR (qPCR) analyses. Further, we elucidate the potential of employing multiple mobile ecogenomic sensors to monitor ocean biodiversity, as well as following ecosystems over time to reveal time/space relationships of biological processes in response to changing environmental conditions.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AGUFMOS24A..01Y
- Keywords:
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- 4894 Instruments;
- sensors;
- and techniques;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICALDE: 4262 Ocean observing systems;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERALDE: 4294 Instruments and techniques;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERALDE: 4594 Instruments and techniques;
- OCEANOGRAPHY: PHYSICAL