NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY2010

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This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2010. The fellowship supports a research and training plan entitled "Landscape genetic modeling of environmentally associated morphological and genetic variation" for Ian Wang. The host institution for this research is Harvard University, and the sponsoring scientist is Jonathan Losos. To date, the vast majority of landscape genetics research has focused on the relationship between population genetic structure and geographic distance, without considering the potential effects of environmental variation. Structural equation modeling (SEM), which utilizes a series of regression and model-fitting analyses to test hypotheses about the relationships between multiple variables, provides a logical framework for examining associations between geographic distance, ecological differences, and genetic structure. This research utilizes a computationally intensive SEM analysis and data acquired from five major DNA, GIS, and museum record databases to test whether patterns of genetic structure in 12 species of Anolis lizards are associated with between-population geographic distance or ecological differences. The implementation of this method substantially expands the scope of landscape genetics, allowing researchers to examine consequential questions in the study of biological diversification, including whether intra-specific genetic structure is correlated with geographic distance or ecological differences, and which ecological axes are associated with genetic differentiation in each of these species. Training goals include gaining expertise in evolutionary ecology and in modeling and analyzing ecological traits and the interactions between organisms and their environments. Broader impacts include contributing materials to museum displays, including a planned exhibit on Anolis lizards at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, and involving underrepresented undergraduate students in several of the diverse components of this research.