Pacific premiere: 14/15th April 2025
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Atlantic replay: 16th April 2025
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Microbiome and Citizen Science
A special MVIF event, with talks and panel discussion by:
- Dr. Jérôme Waldispühl, McGill University, Canada
- Dr. Daniel McDonald, UCSD, USA
- Dr. Mikayla Borton, Colorado State University, USA
Chairs the discussion Dr. Jack Gilbert, UC San Diego School of Medicine, USA
1. Leveling Up Citizen Science for (meta)genomic research
by Dr. Jérôme Waldispühl, McGill University, Canada
2. Translating the Microbiome through Microsetta
by Dr. Daniel McDonald, UCSD, USA
The Microsetta Initiative is the globally focused microbiome citizen science successor to the American Gut Project. Representing over 30,000 microbiome samples, with comprehensive phenotypic and diet information, Microsetta is an unparalleled open access compendium of microbiome data. Here, I talk about the state of Microsetta, examples of microbiome results across populations, how you can use these data, and where we are going into the future.
3. From Drops to Data: Harnessing Community Science to Decode Aquatic Microbiomes Across the Globe
by Dr. Mikayla Borton, Colorado State University, USA
Predicting elemental cycles and maintaining water quality under increasing anthropogenic influence requires knowledge of the spatial drivers of river microbiomes. However, understanding of the core microbial processes governing river biogeochemistry is hindered by a lack of genome-resolved functional insights and sampling across multiple rivers. Here we used a community science effort to accelerate the sampling, sequencing and genome-resolved analyses of river microbiomes to create the Genome Resolved Open Watersheds database (GROWdb). GROWdb profiles the identity, distribution, function and expression of microbial genomes across river surface waters covering 90% of United States watersheds. Specifically, GROWdb encompasses microbial lineages from 27 phyla, including novel members from 10 families and 128 genera, and defines the core river microbiome at the genome level. GROWdb analyses coupled to extensive geospatial information reveals local and regional drivers of microbial community structuring, while also presenting foundational hypotheses about ecosystem function. Building on the previously conceived River Continuum Concept, we layer on microbial functional trait expression, which suggests that the structure and function of river microbiomes is predictable. We make GROWdb available through various collaborative cyberinfrastructures, so that it can be widely accessed across disciplines for watershed predictive modelling and microbiome-based management practices.