NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Using eDNA metabarcoding to measure the impact of anthropogenic activities and predator reintroduction on parasite-based ecological networks

NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：使用 eDNA 元条形码来测量人类活动和捕食者重新引入对基于寄生虫的生态网络的影响

• 批准号: 2208800
• 负责人: Jasmine Childress
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Childress, Jasmine N
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-02-01 至 2025-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2208800&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; Using

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, 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. Ecological networks are used to describe biodiversity and the ways in which plants and animals interact with one another. While parasites comprise nearly half of all described animal life, they are routinely left out of these networks. Thus, essential features of ecosystems are overlooked because parasites are excluded from ecological networks. One of the main challenges to integrating parasites into these networks is the difficulty of surveying for parasites using conventional methods that rely on complex techniques, which are invasive or lethal to host organisms. This problem will be resolved by using new DNA methods to detect the DNA fragments that all species shed into the environment (for example in feces, mucus, and skin). This environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used to identify parasites without capture and harm to their hosts. Using this non-destructive method, the distribution of parasites will be added to ecological networks, including those in which human activity has had an impact and ones in which top predators have been reintroduced. This will help lay the foundation for enhancing future disease, community, and ecosystem studies. To broaden the impact of the project, the Fellow will present workshops to students to help them learn skills important for STEM training and careers. The Fellow will use eDNA metabarcoding to detect host–parasite community biodiversity of the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve and incorporate those data into a molecular ecological network analysis to inform two guiding questions: (1) how does incorporating parasites into ecological networks alter our understanding of ecosystems, and (2) how do anthropogenic impacts and predator reintroduction reshape parasite-based ecological networks? To broaden participation of underrepresented groups, the Fellow will lead “Flash Skills,” which is a series of small workshops aimed at teaching and refining skills that may be left out of the classroom, such as grant writing, data and time management, and coding. These competencies will help prepare undergraduate and graduate students for postdoctoral opportunities and careers in academia.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.

该行动为2022财年生物学的NSF博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，扩大了在生物学中代表不足的群体的参与。奖学金支持该研究员的研究和培训计划，这将增加生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。生态网络用于描述生物多样性以及动植物相互作用的方式。虽然寄生虫几乎占所有描述的动物寿命的一半，但它们通常被排除在这些网络之外。这就是生态系统的基本特征被忽略了，因为寄生虫被排除在生态网络之外。将寄生虫整合到这些网络中的主要挑战之一是难以使用依赖复杂技术的常规方法对寄生虫进行测量，这些方法是侵入性或致命的宿主生物体。将通过使用新的DNA方法检测所有物种脱落到环境的DNA片段（例如，在粪便，粘液和皮肤中）来解决此问题。这种环境DNA（EDNA）可用于识别寄生虫，而不会捕获和损害其宿主。使用这种非破坏性方法，将寄生虫的分布添加到生态网络中，包括人类活动产生影响的那些和重新引入顶级捕食者的那些。这将有助于增强未来疾病，社区和生态系统研究的基础。为了扩大项目的影响，该研究员将向学生举办研讨会，以帮助他们学习对STEM培训和职业重要的技能。该研究员将使用Edna Metabarcoding来检测Jasper Ridge生物学保存的寄主 - 寄生虫社区生物多样性，并将这些数据纳入分子生态网络分析中，以告知两个指导性问题：（1）将寄生虫结合到生态网络中如何改变我们对生态系统的理解，以及（2）reagematient re remeal reaperation reape reape the thrapecolic reape sape the thraperation？为了扩大代表性不足的小组的参与，该研究员将领导“闪存技能”，这是一系列小型研讨会，旨在教学和精炼技能，这些技能可能排除在课堂之外，例如赠款写作，数据和时间管理以及编码。这些能力将有助于为学术界的博士后机会和职业做好准备。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准，通过评估来诚实地获得支持。