NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2018

该奖项支持NSF博士后研究奖学金在生物学研究使用生物收藏。该研究金支持研究员的研究和培训，以创新的方式利用生物收藏。该研究采用数据驱动和以收集为重点的方法来了解促进物种形成过程的因素（即，新物种的形成，以及生物多样性的产生。这项工作将阐明生殖骨骼结构在多大程度上可能参与了生态学上重要的啮齿动物种群松鼠的物种形成。这种骨骼结构出现在一些最多样化的哺乳动物群体中，并可能通过选择过程促进物种形成。然而，尽管几十年来科学家们对这些骨骼结构的确切功能一直都不清楚。这位研究员将利用各种方法来量化骨骼进化的模式，包括博物馆标本的高分辨率成像。这项工作还将为本科生提供真实的研究经验，并将扩大STEM在这一层面的参与。最后，这项工作将包括科学交流活动，将进化生物学学习活动带给公众。这项研究将利用三种生态上不同的松鼠辐射（松鼠属，Tamias，Urocitellus）作为模型系统。哺乳动物进化生物学和选择过程的关键见解，预计通过整合新的遗传，形态和生物多样性信息学数据集，以测试哺乳动物生殖结构专业化的作用的假设。将建立一个比较框架，使用基因组学方法来解决遗传学和过去的杂交事件。将使用标本的CT扫描记录焦点种属杆状的演变形状变化。描述杆状形态的数据集将被捕获，并与从数千个数字化博物馆记录中收集的描述外部生物表型的数据集进行对比。每一个将进行分析的组成物种的地理和生态位重叠的背景下，以揭示是否模式的杆状变化是一致的密切相关的谱系生殖隔离的作用。所有数据集都可以在线访问，并与原始博物馆标本相链接，以促进开放获取生物收藏中所包含的丰富数据。培训成果包括关注STEM代表性不足的本科生的研究机会，以及在科普论坛上传播研究概念和实证结果。推广活动将提高公众对哺乳动物生物多样性和进化、物种形成过程以及生物收集对紧迫的科学和社会问题的重要性的认识。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This award supports an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology Research Using Biological Collections. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will utilize biological collections in innovative ways. The research takes a data-driven and collections-focused approach to understand factors promoting the speciation process (i.e., formation of new species) and, therefore, the generation of biodiversity. The effort will illuminate the extent to which a reproductive bone structures may be involved in speciation in an ecologically important group of rodents, the squirrels. Such bone structures occur in some of the most diverse groups of mammals and may contribute to speciation via selection processes. Despite decades of scientific curiosity, however, the precise function of these bone structures is unknown in most groups. The fellow will leverage methods to quantify patterns of bone evolution including high-resolution imaging of museum specimens. This work will also provide authentic research experiences for undergraduate students and will broaden STEM participation at this level. Finally, this work will include science communication events that will bring evolutionary biology learning activities to the general public.The research will leverage three ecologically distinct squirrel radiations (the genera Sciurus, Tamias, Urocitellus) as model systems. Key insights into mammalian evolutionary biology and selection process are expected via integration of novel genetic, morphometric, and biodiversity informatics datasets to test hypotheses on the role of reproductive structure specialization in mammals. A comparative framework will be established using phylogenomic methods to resolve phylogenies and past hybridization events. Evolutionary shape variation in bacula from focal species will be documented using CT scanning of specimens. Datasets describing bacular morphology will be captured and contrasted with those describing external organismal phenotypes gleaned from thousands of digitized museum records. Each will be analyzed in the context of geographic and niche overlap of constituent species to reveal whether patterns of bacular variation are consistent with a role in reproductive isolation of closely related lineages. All datasets will be accessible online and linked to original museum specimens, facilitating open access to the wealth of data contained in biological collections. Training outcomes include research opportunities focused on STEM-underrepresented undergraduates and dissemination of research concepts and empirical results in popular science fora. Outreach activities will increase public literacy on mammalian biodiversity and evolution, the speciation process, and the importance of biocollections for pressing scientific and societal issues.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.