NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2019: Coevolutionary genomics of a dual-purpose marine symbiosis

该行动为2019财年美国国家科学基金会生物学博士后研究奖学金提供资金，扩大生物学中代表性不足群体的参与。该奖学金支持研究员的一项研究和培训计划，该计划将增加生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。动物和与它们共同生活的微生物（微生物共生体）之间的共同进化通常会产生一些变化，比如可以保护宿主生物的新分子。如果共生微生物从亲代传给后代，在环境保持不变的情况下通常是有利的。相比之下，经常经历变化的海洋生态系统可能为从环境中获得微生物共生体的生物提供优势。这个项目将分析一种叫做等足类的海洋甲壳类动物与一种叫做蓝藻的微生物之间的相互作用。这项研究将使用这个海洋共生模型系统来检验关于生物如何共同进化的进化理论。该研究员将同时开发一个桥梁项目，重点为代表性不足的社区大学学生提供海洋科学研究机会，从而为学生提供在本国机构无法获得的培训。在此过程中，该项目将提供人口基因组学、元基因组学和科学潜水方面的培训。居住在珊瑚礁的等足类动物（桑蒂亚）培养双重用途的蓝藻——这些共生体是等足类动物的主要食物来源，并提供防御捕食。防御是通过明显的警告色和对掠食性鱼类来说不好吃的化合物来实现的。理论预测，这些共生体应该是一个多样化的、无差别的微生物组合，这与“万物无所不在”的假设是一致的。然而，桑蒂亚孕育了它们的后代，这应该有利于垂直传播和共同多样化。本研究将使用微生物群落分析来确定共生体的利益是来自微生物物种的联盟还是单一的专门谱系。将等足类地理种群结构与共生遗传种群的空间格局和群落结构进行比较，确定共生体的传播。等足类和共生体的共同分化将使用比较系统基因组学研究缺乏防御化合物和色素的等足类共生体系统。该研究员将创建一个“海洋科学路径（MSP）”项目，该项目将作为“多样性项目”的补充，“多样性项目”是一个研究密集型国际暑期项目，旨在通过提供攻读博士学位的途径，增加海洋科学的多样性。MSP将从社区学院招募代表性不足的学生进行研究，并参加一个期刊俱乐部，在那里，TDP校友的博士生将讨论科学和通往研究生院的道路。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 action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2019, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. Coevolution between animals and the microorganisms they live with (microbial symbionts) often results in changes such as novel molecules, that can protect the host organism. If the microbial symbionts are passed from parent to offspring it is usually an advantage when the environment stays the same. In contrast, marine ecosystems, which often experience change, may provide an advantage to organisms that acquire their microbial symbionts from the environment. This project will analyze the interaction of a marine crustacean called an isopod with microbes called cyanobacteria. The research will use this model system of marine symbioses to test evolutionary theories about how organisms coevolve. The fellow will simultaneously develop a bridge program focused on providing marine science research opportunities to underrepresented community college students, thus giving students training unavailable at their home institutions. In doing so, the project will provide training in population genomics, meta-genomics, and scientific diving.Reef-dwelling isopods (Santia) cultivate dual-purpose, cyanobacteria - these symbionts are the isopod's primary food source and provide defense from predation. Defense is conferred via conspicuous warning coloration and compounds that are unpalatable to predatory fishes. Theory predicts these symbionts should be a diverse and undifferentiated microbial assemblage, consistent with the 'Everything is Everywhere' hypothesis. However, Santia brood their young, which should favor vertical transmission and co-diversification. This research will use microbial community profiling to determine whether symbiont benefits derive from a consortium of microbial species or a single specialized lineage. Symbiont transmission will be determined by comparing isopod geographic population structure against spatial patterns of symbiont genetic population and community structure. Isopod and symbiont co-divergence will be examined using comparative phylo-genomics with an isopod-symbiont system lacking defensive compounds and pigment. The fellow will create a 'Marine Science Pathways (MSP)' program that will act as a feeder to 'The Diversity Project' a research-intensive international summer program focused on increasing diversity in marine science by providing a pathway to PhD programs. MSP will recruit underrepresented students from community colleges to conduct research and participate in a journal club where PhD students who are TDP alumni will discuss science and paths to graduate school.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.