NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2009

本行动根据2009年美国复苏与再投资法案（公法111-5）资助国家科学基金会2009年度少数民族博士后研究奖学金。该奖学金支持该研究员在一个主办实验室开展一项研究和培训计划，该研究员还提出了一项扩大未被充分代表的少数民族参与生物学的计划。大卫·罗德里格斯的这项研究和培训计划的标题是“水蛭壶菌的种群遗传学和新世界两栖动物的衰退”。这项研究的主办机构是康奈尔大学，赞助科学家是Kelly Zamudio博士。两栖动物正在以前所未有的速度减少，导致地球生物多样性的减少，对这些物种发挥关键作用的生态系统造成潜在的可怕后果。壶菌水蛭壶菌（Batrachochytrium dendroatidis, Bd）与最近全球两栖动物数量下降有关。该项目正在调查中南美洲Bd的种群遗传学，以检验可能解释该流行病的两种相互竞争的假设；即与气候有关的流行病假说和病原体传播假说。培训目标是进一步发展以下方面的专业知识：(1)生物信息学；(2)分析中性和表达基因的实验实验室技术；(3)基于模型的聚类方法，用于系统发育重建、群体遗传学和致病性基因选择研究。更广泛的影响包括产生对全球两栖动物生物多样性构成严重威胁的病原体遗传多样性的关键基线数据。研究结果有助于实施一种更动态的两栖动物保护方法，该方法考虑了预测性管理工作和主动保护计划的进化过程。该奖学金还将增加博士后水平上代表性不足群体的参与。

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2009 and is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The fellowship supports a research and training plan at a host laboratory for the Fellow who also presents a plan to broaden participation in biology of underrepresented minorities. The title of the research and training plan for this fellowship to David Rodriguez is "Population genetics of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and New World amphibian declines." The host institution for this research is Cornell University and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Kelly Zamudio.Amphibians are declining at an unprecedented rate contributing to a decrease in the earth's biodiversity, resulting in potentially dire consequences for ecosystems in which those species play critical roles. The chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd)has been implicated in recent global amphibian declines. This project is investigating the population genetics of Bd in Central and South America to test two competing hypotheses that possibly explain the epidemic; namely, the climate-linked epidemic hypothesis and the spreading pathogen hypothesis.The training objectives are to further develop expertise in i) bioinformatics, ii) experimental laboratory techniques for assaying neutral and expressed genes, and iii) model-based coalescent approaches to phylogenetic reconstruction, population genetics, and studies of selection on pathogenicity genes. The broader impacts include generating critical baseline data on the genetic diversity of a pathogen that is a serious threat to global amphibian biodiversity. The results contribute to implementing a more dynamic approach to amphibian conservation that takes into account evolutionary processes in predictive management efforts and proactive conservation programs. This fellowship will also increase the participation of underrepresented groups at the postdoctoral level.