NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2014

NSF生物学博士后奖学金将研究和培训部分结合在一起，为年轻科学家在新兴领域的职业生涯做好准备，这些领域的生物学与其他科学学科交叉，在这种情况下与数学交叉。预计这些研究员将领导国家未来的科学工作队伍。霍莉·默勒的这笔奖学金支持新陈代谢灵活性和海洋生态系统功能的研究和培训。主办机构是伍兹霍尔海洋研究所，赞助科学家是马修·D·约翰逊博士和迈克尔·G·纽伯特博士。培训目标包括将微生物和建模技术结合起来。教育和公众宣传包括指导伍兹霍尔海洋研究所的本科生和高中生，让他们参与实验子项目，并继续作为一名科学作家将环境问题置于公众视线中。这项研究调查了产生混合营养生物的环境选择压力。混合营养生物可以通过自养生物，即光合作用，或异养生物，摄取有机物来促进新陈代谢。混合营养在水生微生物群落中广泛存在，但在生态系统模型中的代表性仍然很低。这项研究从进化的角度考察了生物体如何保持代谢的灵活性，而不是只专注于一种营养模式，以及这些类型的生物体对初级生产、营养循环和其他生态系统功能的重要性，特别是在气候变化可能会增加它们数量的海洋中。为了测试混合营养海洋微生物的生理极限和竞争能力，实验室研究正在扩展到模拟更广泛的生态进化动力学问题。

NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biology combine research and training components to prepare young scientists for careers in emerging areas where biology intersects with other scientific disciplines, in this case with mathematics. The Fellows are expected to lead the nation's scientific workforce of the future. This fellowship to Holly Moeller supports research and training on metabolic flexibility and marine ecosystem function. The host institution is the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the sponsoring scientists are Drs. Matthew D. Johnson and Michael G. Neubert. Training goals include coupling microbiological and modeling techniques. Educational and public outreach includes mentoring undergraduate and high school students at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution by including them in experimental subprojects and by continuing as a scientific writer to place environmental issues in the public eye.The research investigates the environmental selection pressures that produce mixotrophs - organisms that can fuel their metabolism through either autotrophy, i.e., photosynthesis, or heterotrophy, ingestion of organic matter. Mixotrophy is widespread in aquatic microbial communities, yet remains poorly represented in ecosystem models. The research examines, from an evolutionary perspective, how an organism maintains metabolic flexibility, rather than specializing in just one mode of nutrition, and the importance of these types of organisms to primary production, nutrient cycling, and other ecosystem functions, particularly in the ocean where climate change is likely to increase their numbers. To test the physiological limits and competitive ability of mixotrophic marine microbes, laboratory studies are being extended to modeling broader questions of eco-evolutionary dynamics.