NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Determining the functional and physiological tradeoffs of thermal plasticity on ectotherm hosts combatting a novel pathogen

2021 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：确定对抗新型病原体的变温宿主的热塑性的功能和生理权衡

• 批准号: 2109663
• 负责人: Natalie Claunch
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Claunch, Natalie M
• 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=2109663&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

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. The United States is home to the highest diversity of salamanders in the world, but these amphibians are at risk of contracting an invasive fungal pathogen (called Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans, or Bsal for short) that is responsible for local extinctions of salamanders in Europe. This research investigates how environmental temperature affect different salamander species’ ability to manipulate body temperature and metabolism to influence immune function and combat Bsal. In addition to providing information about management of an emerging disease in salamanders, this project supports the development of salamander-focused education and outreach materials. The fellow will create and disseminate early education lesson plans, host draw-to-learn events, and create informational posters and brochures on the diversity and ecology of salamanders, which will all be made free and available for public use. The fellow will gain training in mentorship of students underrepresented in STEM fields and in laboratory and analytical techniques for application in disease ecology research.Bsal infects salamanders’ major respiratory organ (skin), presenting a clear trade-off between upregulating immune processes at high temperatures while simultaneously increasing demands for oxygen. Through experimental infection trials of Desmognathus salamanders with and without thermal gradients and integrated assessment of functional genomics, behavior, and physiology, this project will 1) reveal if interspecific differences in disease susceptibility and functional responses are exacerbated by thermal environments; 2) quantify the trade-offs and influence of thermal environment on physiological responses during infection; and 3) provide predictions of the adaptive value of thermal plasticity in limiting disease risk. In addition to training in functional genomics and infection trials, the fellow will gain training in niche modeling to project Bsal susceptibility risk across the landscape using information about Plethodontid salamander species’ thermal preferences. The data generated by this project can later be applied to answer ecological and evolutionary questions in ectotherms such as how phylogeny and local environment influence thermal preferences and tolerance, or how within-species variation may influence the capacity to respond to thermal constraints imposed by climate change. The project supports the fellow’s training in development and subsequent evaluation of educational materials for broad segments of the public.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。美国是世界上火蜥蜴多样性最高的国家，但这些两栖动物面临着感染一种侵入性真菌病原体(简称BSAL)的风险，这种病原体是导致欧洲当地火蜥蜴灭绝的原因。这项研究调查了环境温度如何影响不同物种的蜥蜴操纵体温和新陈代谢的能力，以影响免疫功能和对抗Bal。除了提供有关火蜥蜴一种新出现疾病的管理信息外，该项目还支持编制以火蜥蜴为重点的教育和宣传材料。该研究员将创建和传播早期教育教案，主办绘画学习活动，并制作关于火蜥蜴多样性和生态的宣传海报和小册子，所有这些都将免费提供给公众使用。这位研究员将接受培训，指导STEM领域以及实验室和分析技术中应用于疾病生态学研究的未被充分代表的学生。Bsal感染火蜥蜴的主要呼吸器官(皮肤)，在高温下上调免疫过程和同时增加对氧气的需求之间呈现明显的权衡。通过对具有和不具有温度梯度的板栗的实验感染试验以及对功能基因组、行为和生理的综合评估，该项目将1)揭示热环境是否加剧了疾病易感性和功能反应的种间差异；2)量化热环境对感染期间生理反应的权衡和影响；以及3)预测热塑性在限制疾病风险方面的适应价值。除了功能基因组学和感染试验方面的培训外，该研究员还将获得生态位建模方面的培训，以利用关于Plethodontid火蜥蜴物种体温偏好的信息来预测整个景观中的Bsal易感性风险。该项目产生的数据稍后可以用于回答外温带中的生态和进化问题，例如系统发育和当地环境如何影响热偏好和耐受性，或者种内差异可能如何影响应对气候变化施加的热约束的能力。该项目支持该研究员为广大公众开发和随后评估教材的培训。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。

项目成果

Herpetofaunal ecology (often) makes sense in the light of thermal physiology

从热生理学的角度来看，爬行动物生态学（通常）是有意义的

• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: The 55th Scientific Meeting of Australian Society of Herpetologists
• 作者: Claunch, NM;Goodman, CM;Guralnick RP;Barve, N;Kluever, B. Longo;Reed, RN;Taylor, EN;Romagosa, CM
• 通讯作者: Romagosa, CM

Investigating the influence of thermal environment on infection dynamics of Bsal in Plethodontid salamanders

研究热环境对无齿蝾螈 Bsal 感染动态的影响

• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Global Amphibian and Reptile Disease Conference
• 作者: Claunch, Natalie M;Guralnick, Robert P;Longo, Ana V.
• 通讯作者: Longo, Ana V.