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

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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.