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

这项行动资助了2022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。生态网络用于描述生物多样性以及植物和动物相互作用的方式。虽然寄生虫占所有描述的动物生命的近一半，但它们通常被排除在这些网络之外。因此，生态系统的基本特征被忽视，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于复杂技术的传统方法来调查寄生虫，这些技术对宿主生物体具有侵入性或致命性。这个问题将通过使用新的DNA方法来检测所有物种脱落到环境中的DNA片段（例如粪便，粘液和皮肤）来解决。这种环境DNA（eDNA）可用于识别寄生虫，而不会捕获和伤害其宿主。使用这种非破坏性的方法，寄生虫的分布将被添加到生态网络中，包括那些人类活动产生影响的网络和那些重新引入顶级捕食者的网络。这将有助于为加强未来的疾病，社区和生态系统研究奠定基础。为了扩大该项目的影响，研究员将为学生举办研讨会，帮助他们学习对STEM培训和职业至关重要的技能。该研究员将使用eDNA元条码检测主机寄生虫社区生物多样性的碧玉岭生物保护区，并将这些数据纳入分子生态网络分析，告知两个指导性问题：（1）如何将寄生虫纳入生态网络改变我们对生态系统的理解，以及（2）如何人为影响和捕食者重新引入重塑寄生虫为基础的生态网络？为了扩大代表性不足群体的参与，该研究员将领导“闪光技能”，这是一系列小型讲习班，旨在教授和提高可能被课堂遗漏的技能，如赠款撰写、数据和时间管理以及编码。这些能力将帮助本科生和研究生为博士后机会和学术界的职业生涯做好准备。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

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.