NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Towards an integrative understanding of conspicuous signals: phenotype, genotype, and adaptive function of a selected trait

2021 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：对显着信号的综合理解：表型、基因型和选定性状的适应性功能

• 批准号: 2109519
• 负责人: Sarah Khalil
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Khalil, Sarah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-03-01 至 2024-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2109519&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2020, 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. This project aims to broaden participation of groups underrepresented in biology in two ways: (1) by implementing a program that will directly increase the diversity of postdoctoral scientists and (2) by funding the fellow to engage in novel research in functional genomics. This research investigates how red-backed fairywrens, a small Australian bird, produce their red feathers, and how this individual redness may affect male reproductive success. Connecting how a signal is produced to the associated reproductive outcomes is a fundamental question in evolution, yet these components are often studied independently. This research will characterize how red feathers are produced by identifying the genes underlying red pigmentation and will use long-term breeding data to track the reproductive success of red-backed fairywren males that vary in plumage color.Showy male traits have long captured the imagination of evolutionary biologists. However, insular approaches to studying these mechanisms can hinder an integrated understanding of these traits. The proposed research spans different levels of inquiry to investigate the evolution of the sexually-selected, red plumage in the red-backed fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus). The fellow proposes to explore the proximate and ultimate mechanisms responsible for the production and maintenance of hue variation, which varies extensively across the species' range. The fellow will collect samples in Australia and use genomic and transcriptomic tools to identify candidate loci associated with color production. In addition, this work will identify the direction and strength of selection on loci in response to the observed female preference for redder plumage. The fellow will leverage demographic data from two populations and use quantitative modeling to quantify the adaptive function of plumage and its relationship to reproductive success. The integration of an ecologically relevant trait that influences fitness with species-wide genomic data will prove critical in understanding phenotypic evolution. The project's broader impacts are designed to close a gap for underrepresented minority scientists by developing a program to target and support graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds when they are at the critical career stage of applying to postdoctoral positions. The proposed research will further broaden diversity by providing opportunities for underrepresented minority students to gain research experience at the high school and undergraduate level.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，扩大了生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。该研究金支持研究员的一项研究和培训计划，该计划将增加在生物学领域代表性不足的群体的参与。该项目旨在通过两种方式扩大生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与：（1）通过实施直接增加博士后科学家多样性的计划，以及（2）资助研究员从事功能基因组学的新研究。这项研究调查了红背细尾鹩莺，一种小型的澳大利亚鸟类，如何产生它们的红色羽毛，以及这种个体的红色如何影响雄性的繁殖成功。将信号如何产生与相关的生殖结果联系起来是进化中的一个基本问题，但这些组成部分通常是独立研究的。这项研究将通过识别红色色素沉着的基因来描述红色羽毛是如何产生的，并将使用长期的繁殖数据来跟踪羽毛颜色不同的红背细尾鹩雄性的繁殖成功率。艳丽的雄性特征长期以来一直吸引着进化生物学家的想象力。然而，孤立的方法来研究这些机制可能会阻碍对这些特征的综合理解。这项拟议中的研究跨越了不同层次的调查，以调查红背细尾鹩（Malurus melanocephalus）的性选择，红色羽毛的进化。这位研究员建议探索负责色调变化的产生和维持的近端和最终机制，色调变化在物种范围内变化很大。该研究员将在澳大利亚收集样本，并使用基因组和转录组学工具来识别与颜色产生相关的候选基因座。此外，这项工作将确定的方向和强度的基因座上的选择，在观察到的女性偏好红色羽毛。该研究员将利用来自两个种群的人口统计数据，并使用定量建模来量化羽毛的适应功能及其与繁殖成功的关系。将影响适应性的生态相关性状与物种范围的基因组数据相结合，将证明对理解表型进化至关重要。该项目更广泛的影响旨在通过制定一项计划来缩小代表性不足的少数民族科学家的差距，以针对和支持来自代表性不足背景的研究生，当他们处于申请博士后职位的关键职业阶段时。拟议的研究将进一步扩大多样性，为代表性不足的少数民族学生提供机会，以获得在高中和本科层次的研究经验。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

项目成果

Social and abiotic factors differentially affect plumage ornamentation of young and old males in an Australian songbird

社会和非生物因素对澳大利亚鸣禽年轻和年老雄性羽毛装饰的影响不同

• DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.10.007
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Animal Behaviour
• 影响因子: 2.5
• 作者: Welklin, Joseph F.;Lantz, Samantha M.;Khalil, Sarah;Moody, Nicole M.;Karubian, Jordan;Webster, Michael S.
• 通讯作者: Webster, Michael S.

Unexpected long-term retention of subcutaneous beeswax implants and additional notes on dose and composition from four testosterone implant studies

皮下蜂蜡植入物的意外长期保留以及四项睾酮植入物研究中剂量和成分的附加说明

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.114124
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: General and Comparative Endocrinology
• 影响因子: 2.7
• 作者: Boersma, Jordan;McQueen, Alexandra;Peters, Anne;Welklin, Joseph F.;Khalil, Sarah;Quispe, René;Goymann, Wolfgang;Schwabl, Hubert
• 通讯作者: Schwabl, Hubert