Next generation sequencing Indian Knob Mountain Balm | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

This grant opportunity, titled "Next generation sequencing Indian Knob Mountain Balm" (Funding Opportunity Number F15AS00388), was offered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a discretionary cooperative agreement under CFDA 15.650 (Research Grants - Generic). The work is framed as a recovery-focused research project for Eriodictyon altissimum, commonly known as Indian Knob mountain balm, and is explicitly tied to implementing actions consistent with the species 1998 recovery plan. In practical terms, the project is meant to produce genetic information that can directly support conservation and management decisions for a rare plant by clarifying how much genetic variation exists and how that variation is distributed across the plant's known occurrences.

The central scientific approach is to use next generation sequencing (NGS), specifically restriction site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq), to generate a large set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SNPs are common, single-base differences in DNA among individuals, and because RADseq can discover and genotype many SNPs across the genome at relatively low cost, it is well-suited for population genetics studies in non-model species. The opportunity description emphasizes that improvements in sequencing technology have brought costs down enough that these methods are now feasible for individual research teams, making it a timely choice for an applied conservation genetics project.

The project lays out two main questions. First, it aims to measure genetic diversity within and among occurrences of E. altissimum using standard population genetics metrics. The intended management value is straightforward: by comparing genetic diversity across sites, the results can help identify occurrences that may be genetically depauperate (and potentially more vulnerable to inbreeding or reduced adaptive capacity), occurrences that are especially diverse, and occurrences that contain unique genetic variants. That kind of information can influence priorities for protection, monitoring, seed collection, propagation, augmentation, translocation, or habitat management, because it helps managers avoid unintentionally losing rare lineages or focusing effort on sites that may not represent the species overall genetic breadth.

Second, the project plans to use the SNP dataset to develop an initial estimate of how many distinct genetic individuals (genets) are present in each occurrence. This matters because some plants can reproduce clonally, meaning many stems or ramets in an area might actually belong to the same genet. If an occurrence is heavily clonal, it can look robust based on stem counts but still have low effective genetic diversity. The grant notes that clonality would show up as spatially clustered samples that are genetically identical, allowing researchers to infer the approximate number of genets and assess the degree of clonal structure within each occurrence.

From an administrative standpoint, the posting date was July 22, 2015, with an original and current closing date of July 27, 2015, and an archive date of July 28, 2015. The estimated total funding was $33,260, with an award ceiling listed at the same amount and an award floor of $100, and it anticipated a single award. Cost sharing was not required. Eligibility was described as unrestricted, but the announcement also states that a recipient had already been selected, referencing an attached notice of intent to award, which indicates the competition was effectively resolved at the time the listing was viewed. The opportunity directed applicants to Grants.gov for full details, and provided a contact at the Fish and Wildlife Service (Yolanda Dacko, 805-644-1766 x301, YolandaDacko@fws.gov) for access or questions about the full announcement.

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