NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2020: Convergent evolution of morphological integration in Indonesian shrews

本行动资助美国国家科学基金会2020年度生物学博士后研究奖学金，利用生物馆藏进行研究。该奖学金支持研究和培训将以创新的方式使用生物馆藏的研究员。为了回答“为什么有这么多物种？”，生物学家对以下方面产生了兴趣：1)生活在一个群落中的近亲物种如何共享资源；2)形状和大小如何反映一个物种如何移动和进食；3)使用相似资源的不同地方的物种是否会进化出相似的身体结构。该研究员将使用来自印度尼西亚不同岛屿的鼩鼱骨骼的3D图像来测试生活在不同群落中的物种在摄食行为和运动方面的差异，揭示物种如何竞争或共享资源。该研究将测试生活在不同岛屿但使用相似资源的鼩鼱之间的身体相似性，揭示这些动物是否以重复和可预测的方式进化以在相似的栖息地生存。这项研究将为了解自然选择和群落相互作用如何形成世界热带森林中丰富的多样性提供见解。为了扩大这项工作的影响，来自代表性不足群体的学生将在研究中得到指导，并且将为Brain Scoop YouTube频道制作关于该项目的一集。尽管许多生物辐射以其独特的表型和功能多样性而闻名，但一些“非适应性”辐射，如旧大陆的鼩鼱，已经迅速多样化，形成了同样丰富的群落，这些群落的物种看起来非常相似。这项研究将通过测试印度尼西亚马来群岛三个岛屿上物种丰富的鼩鼱群落的功能差异来评估竞争对群落动态的影响。利用博物馆藏品的微ct扫描，在一个比较的框架内，研究员将测试同位物种的功能差异，岛屿之间假定形态的趋同进化，以及离散骨骼元素之间的进化协方差。研究结果要么通过强调同种物种的功能差异来支持竞争在群落聚集中的作用，要么表明与饮食和运动有关的功能在这些群落的形成和维持中没有发挥实质性作用。这项研究将产生大量开放获取的形态学数据，开发3D数据传播的最佳实践，并与印度尼西亚的研究人员开展合作。来自STEM未被充分代表的群体的两名芝加哥州立大学学生将接受系统发育和形态比较方法的培训，菲尔德博物馆的一个团队将录制一集“大脑独家新闻”，专注于这项研究，并将向全世界的观众开放。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 2020, Research Using Biological Collections. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will use biological collections in innovative ways. To answer the question “why are there so many species?”, biologists have developed an interest in 1) how closely related species living in a community share resources, 2) how shape and size reflects how a species moves and eats, and 3) whether species in different places that use similar resources evolve similar body plans. The fellow will use 3D images of shrew skeletons from different Indonesian islands to test for differences in the feeding behavior and locomotion of species that live together in diverse communities, revealing how species compete for, or share resources. The research will then test for physical similarities between shrews that live on different islands but use similar resources, revealing whether these animals have evolved in a repeated and predictable way to survive in similar habitats. The research will provide insight on how natural selection and community interactions form the rich diversity found in the world’s tropical forests. To broaden the impact of the work, students from underrepresented groups will be mentored in research and an episode about the project will be produced for the Brain Scoop YouTube channel.Although many biological radiations are famous for their exceptional phenotypic and functional diversity, some “non-adaptive” radiations, such as Old-World shrews, have rapidly diversified to form equally rich communities of remarkably similar-looking species. The research will evaluate the impact of competition in community dynamics by testing for functional differences in species-rich shrew communities across three islands in Indonesia’s Malay Archipelago. Using microCT scans of museum collections in a comparative framework the fellow will test for functional differences in syntopic species, convergent evolution of putative morphotypes between islands, and evolutionary covariance between discrete skeletal elements. Results will either support the role of competition in community assembly by highlighting functional differences in syntopic species, or, suggest that function, as it relates to diet and locomotion, does not play a substantial role in the formation and maintenance of these communities. This research will generate large amounts of open-access morphological data, develop best practices in 3D data dissemination, and engender collaboration with researchers in Indonesia. Two Chicago State University students from STEM underrepresented groups will be trained in phylogenetic and morphological comparative methods, and a team from the Field Museum will record a “Brain Scoop” episode focused on this research that will be accessible to a worldwide audience.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.