A Microbial Sampling and Community Reconstruction Activity for Introducing Students to the Burgeoning Field of Metagenomics

Abstract

Metagenomics is a cutting-edge, culture-independent technique that provides the means for rapidly identification and cataloguing of microorganisms in a given environment. Metagenomics has provided important insight into the roles of microbes in a variety of niches, with broad implications for medicine, biotechnology, and agriculture. We developed a hands-on sampling activity that can be used to introduce the field of metagenomics to high school and undergraduate students either in the laboratory or in the classroom. This practical activity, which requires minimal materials and preparation time, simulates the metagenomic approach by having students sample and “sequence” sentence fragments, representing portions of DNA from a pre-defined collection of sentences within a community. Students then match the fragments to a reference database that links each phrase to a specific microbe. After several rounds of “sequencing”, students are asked to reconstruct the microbial composition of their community. This innovative dry lab provides students with an introduction to the revolutionary field of metagenomics and simulates how the DNA-based metagenomics approach is used to identify microbes and reconstruct microbial communities in any environment.