HOW BASIC LIFE HISTORY STUDIES CAN INFORM AND GUIDE “OMICS” AND OTHER TECHNOLOGY-INTENSIVE RESEARCH

The Foraminifera, whether considered a Class or a Phylum, are unquestionably an important group of organisms. With relatively high but manageable diversity and a long fossil record, the morphological and chemical analyses of foraminiferal shells have played crucial roles in biostratigraphic and paleoceanographic research. In modern oceans, foraminifers are second only to coccolithophorids as major producers of carbonate sediments. Yet nearly every major book synthesizing research on the Foraminifera has noted the dearth of information on their biology and ecology. Some of the best known benthic taxa, including Ammonia, Elphidium, Amphistegina, and Heterostegina, were initially studied from field populations using natural history approaches that included relatively simple microscopic observations and laboratory cultures. Applications of a range of technologies to foraminiferal studies are producing exciting breakthroughs, but, without the context of basic biology, results can be difficult to interpret. At the same time, genomics and proteomics, for example, can support long-ignored or misunderstood observations. Given the reality that biological studies of foraminifers will seldom be considered high priority for major funding, most students trained in foraminiferal research will likely not find research-intensive positions and attract multi-million dollar grants to pursue technologically sophisticated research programs that focus on foraminiferal biology. However, improved understanding of basic biology and ecology can better focus technology-intensive research. Because basic field, maintenance culture and microscopic observations can still be done relatively inexpensively, and many technologies are now basic that were not available 20–50 years ago, biological investigations should be encouraged through undergraduate and post-graduate research projects, guided by educators originally trained as foraminiferal researchers. Moreover, researchers at major universities and research institutions can benefit from collaborations with educators who are guiding student researchers, exploring observations and hypotheses generated by basic observational research.