Herbarium specimens and obtaining organellar genomes of Phaeophyceae: a challenge to be overcome!

• Grant number: 25/27597-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2026
• End date: January 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany
• Principal Investigator: Priscila Barreto de Jesus
• Grantee: Lizandra Luz Santana
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Naturais e Humanas (CCNH). Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC). Santo André , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 22/03234-1 - Evolution and diversification of Phaeophyceae: exploring genomic data to understand the taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography of brown algae, AP.PNGP.PI

Abstract

This project aims to improve DNA extraction protocols from herbarium specimens of the class Phaeophyceae, including type specimens from the New York Herbarium (NY) and historical samples from the Farlow Herbarium (FH) at Harvard University. With advances in DNA sequencing technologies, it has become possible to use these specimens in evolutionary and taxonomic studies, even when dealing with rare or recently described species. The project will employ high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to generate accessible and robust genomic data. The extracted DNA will be evaluated for quality and quantity using the Qubit fluorometer, and gene regions will be sequenced for species delimitation. One specimen per species will be selected for whole-genome sequencing. (AU)