NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Parallel genome and phenome evolution within and across fish species

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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. A fundamental principle in biology is that under similar conditions, parallel evolution may lead to similar outcomes. Parallel evolution can occur among closely related populations within a single species and across distantly related species separated by millions of years of divergence. This research will focus on parallel evolution in the fish fauna of the Carolina bays, an understudied series of freshwater lakes along the Atlantic coastal plain. These lakes harbor several unique species plus replicate populations of the same species, providing a natural experiment to compare parallel evolution among versus within species. This research seeks to understand how species and populations have repeatedly evolved elongated bodies compared to their stream-dwelling closest relatives. Many previous studies of parallel evolution focus on detailed investigation of a single species or broad comparative approaches across many different species. This interdisciplinary project will compare parallel evolution within and among species across multiple levels of biological organization. In addition to advancing understanding of parallel evolution, this research will provide crucial information about genetic population structure for conservation of these species. The Fellow will develop a community outreach program to expand public awareness of freshwater ecosystem conservation as well as involving students of diverse backgrounds in the study.This proposal will test the hypothesis that parallel genomic changes drive parallel morphological divergence both within and across species. The Fellow will (1) investigate the phylogenetic and population genetic context for each replicate lake species/population, (2) determine the degree and magnitude of parallel phenotypic lake-stream divergence, and (3) examine parallel genomic evolution linked to phenotypic divergence. This research will generate a uniquely rich dataset to study parallel evolution by combining de novo reference genome sequences, population and species low-coverage genome resequencing, traditional 2D morphometrics, 3D osteological morphometrics using µCT imaging, and experimental gene-editing in Danio. Training in these diverse research techniques will allow the Fellow to build on their current skill set and expand into new areas of scientific inquiry. The Fellow will mentor undergraduate students in collaboration with the UB Women in STEM Cooperative and the SUNY Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation.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.