NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2018

该奖项支持美国国家科学基金会利用生物馆藏进行生物学研究的博士后研究奖学金。该奖学金支持研究和培训将以创新的方式利用生物收集的研究员。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（即新物种的形成）的因素，从而了解生物多样性的产生。这一努力将阐明生殖骨骼结构在多大程度上参与了松鼠这一具有重要生态学意义的啮齿动物种群的物种形成。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，尽管几十年来科学上的好奇心，这些骨骼结构的确切功能在大多数群体中是未知的。该研究员将利用方法来量化骨骼进化模式，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，并将扩大这一层次的STEM参与。最后，这项工作将包括科学传播活动，将进化生物学的学习活动带给公众。该研究将利用三种生态上截然不同的松鼠辐射（Sciurus属，Tamias属，Urocitellus属）作为模型系统。通过整合新的遗传、形态计量学和生物多样性信息学数据集，对哺乳动物生殖结构专业化作用的假设进行检验，期望对哺乳动物进化生物学和选择过程有重要的见解。将利用系统发育学方法建立一个比较框架，以解决系统发育和过去的杂交事件。从焦点物种的杆状体的进化形状变化将记录使用CT扫描标本。描述小管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体表型的数据集进行对比。每一个都将在组成物种的地理和生态位重叠的背景下进行分析，以揭示小管变异的模式是否与密切相关谱系的生殖隔离的作用一致。所有数据集都可以在线访问，并与原始博物馆标本相关联，促进对生物馆藏中丰富数据的开放获取。培训成果包括集中在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。外展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。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

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.