NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Fluid homeostasis in the evolution of frog breeding phenology

2021 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：青蛙繁殖物候进化中的流体稳态

• 批准号: 2109850
• 负责人: Bryan Juarez
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Juarez, Bryan H
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-08-01 至 2023-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2109850&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2021, Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology. The Fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. The goal of this research is to understand the role of aquaporin proteins in allowing frogs to overcome harsh environments, and how this may be related to climate and breeding behaviors. Aquaporins allow water to move across cell membranes and therefore allow frogs to maintain water balance in many different environments. Frogs might encounter harsh weather conditions during their reproductive period and must overcome them in order to reproduce and survive. The Fellow will obtain data on the genetic diversity of aquaporins and other relevant traits from various species of frogs living in different habitats. Laboratory experiments will be used to determine how different species may adapt to hot, cold, or dry conditions and eventually inform amphibian conservation efforts. If differences across species are observed, it is implied that aquaporins are important in allowing frogs to survive changing climates and are related to breeding behaviors in frogs. Additionally, the Fellow will design and implement free public workshops for graduate students providing practical guides for reporting statistical results and enhancing scientific reproducibility, with the goal of promoting the participation of historically underrepresented groups at the postdoctoral level.This research will test three hypotheses to determine the evolutionary relationship between behavior, climate, and genetic and functional diversity in aquaporin proteins: H1) breeding period duration across anurans is related to climate, H2) diversity in aquaporin sequences is influenced by climate, and H3) aquaporin gene expression is related to temperature/water availability. H1 and H2 will be analyzed using phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) regression while accounting for relevant traits such as body size or habitat preference. For H2, pairwise genetic distances will be obtained via generalized time-reversible models and then projected into a Euclidean space (required for PGLS regression) using multidimensional scaling. H3 will be analyzed using a phylogenetic multivariate analysis of variance model. It is expected that temperature will be one of the major factors influencing sequence diversity, gene expression, and breeding period duration. This research is important for understanding past biogeography and future conservation prospects in anurans. Training objectives for the Fellow include developing mentorship skills and learning to obtain and analyze data on climate, molecular sequences, and gene expression.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2021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。这项研究的目的是了解水通道蛋白在允许青蛙克服恶劣环境中的作用，以及这与气候和繁殖行为的关系。水通道蛋白允许水穿过细胞膜，因此允许青蛙在许多不同的环境中保持水平衡。青蛙在繁殖期间可能会遇到恶劣的天气条件，必须克服它们才能繁殖和生存。研究员将从生活在不同生境的各种青蛙中获取水通道蛋白的遗传多样性和其他相关特征的数据。实验室实验将用于确定不同物种如何适应炎热，寒冷或干燥的条件，并最终为两栖动物保护工作提供信息。如果观察到物种间的差异，这意味着水通道蛋白在允许青蛙在不断变化的气候中生存方面非常重要，并且与青蛙的繁殖行为有关。此外，该研究员还将为研究生设计和实施免费的公共研讨会，为报告统计结果和提高科学可重复性提供实用指南，旨在促进历史上代表性不足的群体在博士后水平上的参与。这项研究将测试三个假设，以确定行为，气候和水通道蛋白的遗传和功能多样性之间的进化关系：H1）无尾两栖类的繁殖期持续时间与气候有关; H2）水通道蛋白序列的多样性受气候影响; H3）水通道蛋白基因表达与温度/水的可利用性有关。将使用系统发育广义最小二乘（PGLS）回归分析H1和H2，同时考虑相关性状，如体型或栖息地偏好。对于H2，将通过广义时间可逆模型获得成对遗传距离，然后使用多维标度将其投影到欧几里得空间（PGLS回归所需）。将使用系统发育多变量方差分析模型分析H3。预计温度将是影响序列多样性、基因表达和繁殖期持续时间的主要因素之一。这项研究对于了解无尾两栖动物过去的生物地理学和未来的保护前景非常重要。研究员的培训目标包括培养指导技能，学习获取和分析气候、分子序列和基因表达数据。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。