NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Biophotonics, Species, and Relationships

这一行动为NSF 2021财年生物学博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，综合研究调查了支配基因组、环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则。该奖学金支持研究员的研究和培训，这些研究员将以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。珊瑚礁是全球生态系统的基本要素，依赖于太阳能共生：藻类生活在珊瑚和巨蚌等海洋生物体内，并通过光合作用提供现成的能量。然而，越来越多的环境变化破坏了维持这些动物-藻类共生的平衡。为了保护世界各地受到严重威胁的珊瑚礁，我们面临着一项强大的任务，即(I)探索珊瑚礁动物如何如此有效地利用太阳能，(Ii)了解它们错综复杂的太阳能面临的威胁。在这个项目中，这位研究员将研究珊瑚礁共生动物的光学适应和进化。这一结果将帮助我们理解为什么珊瑚会如此严重地漂白，而其他共生海洋动物却不会。在此过程中，大自然与生俱来的创造力可能会激发太阳能的可持续技术。通过三个项目，这位研究员将探索以下生命规律：动物宿主和它们的共生体如何合作利用太阳能？在项目1中，这位研究员将研究光共生的水芹和海葵是否具有将光引导到它们的共生体的适应性，如果是这样的话，这些适应性是否类似于在其他有机体(如植物)中看到的光利用结构。因此，这项工作将为比较进化分析奠定基础，并有可能启发新的太阳能电池板研究。在项目2中，这位研究员将测试关于是什么选择力量驱动了生物光子结构(来自项目1)的多样性以及鳄鱼和海葵的颜色的假设。例如，环境影响--如深度--是否不如共生压力--如共生体的种类--那么重要？在项目3中，这位研究员将分析为什么一些动物如此容易漂白，而另一些动物则具有抵抗力。具体地说，我将评估某些聚光进行光合作用的生物光子适应是否真的会加剧漂白--可能是通过在变暖的海水中导致有机体升温或经历光冲击。该研究员将学习并将尖端显微镜、应用物理和材料科学方法应用于海洋生物学(包括高光谱成像、透射电子显微镜和有限差分时间域模拟)。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 2021, 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. Coral reefs, essential elements of the global ecosystem, depend on solar-powered symbioses: algae live inside marine reef animals, such as coral and giant clams, and photosynthesize to provide ready energy. However, increasingly environmental changes jeopardize the balance that maintains these animal-algal symbioses. To protect critically-threatened reefs worldwide, we face a powerful imperative to (i) explore how reef animals harness solar power so efficiently and (ii) understand threats to their intricate solar. In this project, the fellow will research optical adaptations and evolution in reef-dwelling symbiotic animals. The results will help us understand why corals bleach so severely while other symbiotic marine animals do not. Along the way, the innate creativity of nature may inspire sustainable technologies for solar power. Through three projects, the fellow will explore the following rule of life: how do animal hosts and their symbionts partner together to harness solar energy? In Project 1, the fellow will research whether photosymbiotic acoels and anemones have adaptations to channel light toward their symbionts, and if so whether these adaptations resemble light-harnessing structures seen in other organisms (such as plants). As a result, this work will set the stage for comparative evolutionary analyses as well as, potentially, inspiring new solar panel research. In Project 2, the fellow will test hypotheses about what selective forces drive diversity in biophotonic structures (from Project 1) and colors across acoels and anemones. For example, are environmental influences—such as depth—less important than symbiotic pressures—such as species of symbiont? In Project 3, the fellow will analyze why some animals are so susceptible to bleaching while others are resistant. Specifically, I will assess whether certain biophotonic adaptations that concentrate light for photosynthetic could actually exacerbate bleaching – potentially by causing organisms to heat up, or experience light shock, amidst warming waters. The fellow will learn and apply cutting-edge microscopy, applied physics, and materials science methods to marine biology (including hyperspectral imaging, transmission electron microscopy, and finite-difference time-domain simulations).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.