NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2015

这一行动为2015财年NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，扩大了参与范围。该奖学金支持该研究员在东道主实验室的研究和培训计划，以及扩大科学界代表性不足群体的参与计划。菲利普·巴登的这项研究计划的标题是“利用基因组时代的化石：蚂蚁和琥珀的案例研究”。该奖学金的主办机构是罗格斯大学纽瓦克分校，赞助科学家是杰西卡·威尔博士。随着产生分子(DNA)数据的成本和难度的降低，关于古生物信息在“基因组时代”中的作用的新问题正在出现。虽然大量基于DNA的数据集提供了对地球生命历史的前所未有的洞察，但化石可以提供与进化时间、古代形态和生物地理相关的其他未知细节。联谊会的研究试图通过一个自然界最成功的故事之一的镜头来评估化石在大规模分子数据集中的效用。今天，蚂蚁组成了13,000多种高度社会化、多样化和对生态有影响的物种，分布在世界各地的陆地植被景观中--但情况并不总是如此。化石记录表明，直到大约5000万年前，蚂蚁一直是节肢动物中相对较小的组成部分。此外，古生物学证据，特别是琥珀化石沉积表明，许多最早的蚂蚁与现代亲戚截然不同，最终注定灭绝。是什么导致一些谱系灭绝，而另一些则导致了现代水平的多样性和普及性？为什么流行率在这么长时间内保持在低水平？古生物数据来自大约1亿到5000万年前新发现的化石，以及从蚂蚁多样化和灭绝的其他关键时刻已知的许多物种。高通量DNA测序正被用作获得大量活物种分子数据的一种经济有效的方法。分子和形态数据的组合分析为检验与蚂蚁历史有关的假设提供了基础，并为纳入化石和大规模分子数据集提供了案例研究。蚂蚁是一种新兴的模式系统，用于从人工智能到衰老和基因网络的研究，并为许多其他具有丰富化石历史的生物群体生成基因组规模的分子数据集。培训目标包括获得分子测序和生物信息学方面的专业知识，以补充以前在古生物学和系统学方面的培训。罗格斯大学纽瓦克分校被公认为美国最多元化的国立大学之一，该校的教育推广活动包括充当榜样，指导高中生和本科生进行化石描述、分子测序和分析，以激发未被充分代表的群体对科学研究的兴奋和鼓励。

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2015, Broadening Participation. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow and a plan to broaden participation of groups under-represented in science. The title of the research plan for this fellowship to Phillip Barden is "Utilizing fossils in the age of genomes: a case study of ants and amber." The host institution for this fellowship is Rutgers University-Newark, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Jessica Ware. As the cost and difficulty of generating molecular (DNA) data decreases, new questions are emerging regarding the role of paleontological information in the "age of genomes." While massive DNA-based datasets offer unprecedented insight into the history of life on Earth, fossils can provide otherwise unknowable details related to evolutionary timing, ancient morphology, and biogeography. The fellowship research seeks to evaluate the utility of fossils in large-scale molecular datasets through the lens of one of nature's greatest success stories. Today, ants comprise over 13,000 highly social, diverse, and ecologically impactful species found across terrestrial vegetated landscapes worldwide - but this was not always the case. The fossil record suggests that ants were a relatively minor component of arthropod fauna until approximately 50 million years ago. In addition, paleontological evidence, particularly amber fossil deposits, suggests that many of the earliest ants were distinct from their modern relatives and ultimately doomed to extinction. What drove some lineages to extinction while others led to modern levels of diversity and prevalence? Why did prevalence remain low for so long? Paleontological data are being derived from newly discovered fossils from approximately 100 to 50 million years ago, as well as numerous species known from other key moments in ant diversification and extinction. High throughput DNA sequencing is being utilized as a cost-effective method for obtaining large amounts of molecular data for living species. Combined analyses of molecular and morphological data provide a foundation for testing hypotheses relating to the history of ants, as well as a case study for incorporating fossil and large-scale molecular datasets. Ants are an emerging model system for research ranging from artificial intelligence to the study of aging and gene networks, and genome-scale molecular datasets are generated for numerous other organismal groups with rich fossil histories. Training goals include gaining expertise in molecular sequencing and bioinformatics to compliment previous training in paleontology and systematics. Educational outreach at Rutgers University-Newark, recognized as one of the most diverse national universities in the United States, includes serving as a role model and mentoring high school and undergraduate students in fossil description, molecular sequencing, and analysis to generate excitement and encouragement for scientific research among underrepresented groups.