Proposal to Sequence the Genome of Daphnia Pulex

Recent characterization of the complete genomic sequences of multiple eukaryotes and prokaryotes is rapidly increasing our ability to understand how genome structure evolves and how gene expression and individual performance is modified in response to environmental challenges. These advances hold the promise of making a direct connection between the genome and the phenotype of organisms in populations and communities, both in natural environments and in settings modified by human disturbance. However, to bridge the span between genes and ecosystems and to link molecular and cellular functions to population-level responses in nature, genomic tools must be developed for model organisms with tractable and well-characterized ecologies. One such system is the planktonic microcrustacean Daphnia, which plays a central role in the ecology of almost all standing freshwater on earth.