Cooperative Agreement for affiliated Partner with Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
The U.S. Geological Survey seeks a Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit partner to fill aquatic species barcode gaps supporting environmental DNA monitoring in the Rocky Mountains.
Funder: U.S. Geological Survey
Due Dates: November 30, 2026 (Grants.gov closing date) | December 1, 2026 (NOFO closing date)
Funding Amounts: $250,000 total for one anticipated two-year cooperative agreement (award range: $1–$250,000)
Summary: Supports species barcoding research to fill reference-library gaps for riverine macroinvertebrates in the Rocky Mountains.
Key Information: Applicants must be participating partners of the Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
Description
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) seeks a Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit partner to enhance species barcode libraries for riverine macroinvertebrates in the Rocky Mountains. The research will support a Water Resources Mission Area pilot combining field metagenomics and geospatial datasets to develop artificial intelligence and machine-learning models predicting aquatic community composition. Better barcode coverage is intended to improve environmental DNA assessments supporting aquatic ecosystem monitoring, recreational fishing, and species protection.
The project will evaluate mitochondrial DNA databases, focusing on the COI region, to identify underrepresented macroinvertebrate groups. Approximately 150 species with available reference materials will be selected. Tissue from museum, other reference, and field collections will be used to develop quality-assured barcodes for public databases such as GenBank and BOLD.
