This $923,098 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) will enable the integration of ancient environmental DNA (aDNA) data into the Neotoma Paleoecology Database. This will create a linked open ecosystem of paleoecological and bioinformatic resources to support global-scale biodiversity research at unprecedented taxonomic resolution, coverage, and temporal extent. Key activities include:
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Extending Neotoma's data schema, curatorial systems, and data-sharing systems to support aDNA data and metadata, and building linking services between Neotoma and standard bioinformatic resources (NCBI/EMBL, GBIF, ORCID).
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Establishing an aDNA stewardship council and hosting annual workshops to advance data governance and metadata norms, as well as providing training workshops for early career aDNA researchers.
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Developing protocols, recommendations, and engagement initiatives to promote the use of aDNA methods for studying past biodiversity responses to environmental change.
The award period runs from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2027, and the lead organization is the University of Wisconsin System, operating through its University of Wisconsin - Madison division.
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