NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2020: Carbon and nitrogen source switching in a microbe-bivalve-plant symbiosis

2020 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：微生物-双壳类-植物共生中的碳源和氮源转换

• 批准号: 2010876
• 负责人: Diana Chin
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Chin, Diana W
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2010876&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2020, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. The fellow’s project will address how human input of nutrients from fertilizer, sewage, or other sources into coastal waters may affect a group of clams called lucinids. Lucinid clams live buried in sand or mud and host symbiotic bacteria inside their gills. This is a mutually beneficial relationship because the bacteria use sulfur to make other needed molecules. Lucinid clams often live among the roots of seagrasses and enhance growth and survival because the sulfur compounds they remove from sediment are toxic. Healthy seagrass beds serve important functions by reducing erosion and providing a habitat for many commercially and recreationally important fish and shellfish. This project will analyze how lucinid clams and the symbiotic bacteria respond to changes in the coastal environment and how this may scale up to impact seagrass ecosystems. Understanding the relationships will be important for conservation and restoration efforts. To enhance the reach of the research to underrepresented groups and the wider community, the fellow will develop a public exhibit on the project, contribute to public science communication programs, and participate in coastal restoration practitioner meetings. The fellowship project will use the bacteria-lucinid-seagrass symbiosis to address three specific questions: (a) Does the nutrient status of seagrass beds alter carbon and nitrogen sourcing by lucinids and their sulfur-oxidizing, nitrogen-fixing symbionts? (b) Does the nutrient status of seagrass beds change the proportional representation of symbionts in the lucinid gill microbiome? and (c) Do these alterations to lucinid metabolism and microbiome scale up to affect seagrass growth and condition? The project will comprise a field survey across a gradient of anthropogenic nutrient enrichment in coastal seagrass beds, complemented by a nutrient enrichment experiment in mesocosms. Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, gene expression assays, gene sequencing, sediment porewater chemistry, and standard metrics of seagrass growth and condition will be used to assess the effect of low- and high-nutrient conditions on the relative contributions of chemoautotrophy and nitrogen fixation to lucinid nutrition; the diversity of symbionts and other gill-associated bacteria in lucinid microbiomes; and consequent effects of lucinids on sediment biogeochemistry and seagrass health. The fellow will receive training in molecular biology techniques and bioinformatic analyses as well as advising in project management, mentoring, and teaching. The fellow will also participate in public outreach and restoration programs that will enhance the communication of research results to the broader community.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.

这项行动资助了2020财年的NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金，综合研究调查了基因组，环境和表型之间的生命相互作用的规则。该研究金支持研究员的研究和培训，以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。他的研究项目将探讨人类将肥料、污水或其他来源的营养物质输入沿海沃茨，可能会对一种名为光泽蛤的蛤类产生怎样的影响。光泽蛤生活在沙子或泥土中，并在鳃内寄生共生细菌。这是一种互惠互利的关系，因为细菌使用硫来制造其他所需的分子。Lucinid蛤通常生活在海草的根部，促进生长和生存，因为它们从沉积物中去除的硫化合物是有毒的。健康的海草床具有重要的功能，可以减少侵蚀，并为许多具有商业和娱乐价值的鱼类和贝类提供栖息地。该项目将分析透明蛤和共生细菌如何应对沿海环境的变化，以及这如何扩大到影响海草生态系统。了解这些关系对于保护和恢复工作将是重要的。为了提高研究的覆盖面，以代表性不足的群体和更广泛的社区，该研究员将开发一个关于该项目的公共展览，促进公共科学传播计划，并参加沿海恢复从业者会议。该研究金项目将利用细菌-光泽虫-海草共生关系解决三个具体问题：（a）海草床的营养状况是否改变光泽虫及其硫氧化、氮固定共生体的碳和氮来源？(b)海草床的营养状况是否改变了Lucinid鳃微生物组中共生体的比例？以及（c）这些对Lucinid代谢和微生物组的改变是否会影响海草的生长和状况？该项目将包括对沿海海草床人为养分富集梯度进行实地调查，并辅之以在中型生态系统中进行养分富集实验。碳和氮稳定同位素分析、基因表达分析、基因测序、沉积物孔隙水化学以及海草生长和状况的标准度量将用于评估低营养和高营养条件对化学自养和固氮对Lucinid营养的相对贡献的影响; Lucinid微生物群落中共生体和其他鳃相关细菌的多样性;以及光泽虫对沉积物地球化学和海草健康的影响。该研究员将接受分子生物学技术和生物信息学分析方面的培训，并在项目管理、指导和教学方面提供建议。该研究员还将参与公共宣传和恢复计划，这将加强研究成果向更广泛的社区的沟通。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是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的支持。