NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Effects of Temporal Variation on Genomic Architecture and Phenotype in a Classic Hybrid Zone

这一行动为NSF 2022财年生物学博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，综合研究调查了基因组、环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则。该奖学金支持研究员的研究和培训，这些研究员将以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。该奖学金的研究部分调查了杂交区整个基因组进化过程的可重复性和可预测性。杂交区提供了一个独特的机会来研究选择如何在自然种群的不同轴上发挥作用。通过一种综合的基因-表型方法，这项研究将启发物种形成、杂交和进化生物学研究的新途径；它还有望回答一个几十年来的问题：进化结果如何可预测？通过该项目，该研究员将提供(1)对本科生的批判性培训和指导(包括在实验室中和通过发展以课程为基础的本科生研究经验)；(2)有意义的外展机会，以增加公众对自然和科学的参与和欣赏；以及(3)为在STEM学科中代表性不足的个人，包括LGBTQ研究人员，提供一个机会来介绍研究成果并讨论他们的职业生涯。这个建议的目的是检验重组基因组的选择在不同时间尺度上是可重复的这一假设。为了做到这一点，拟议的研究整合了基于现场的收集、自然历史、经典和尖端基因组方法、基因-表型关联和计算生物学。该研究员将使用历史和当代采样，以及在北美田野蟋蟀之间接触的不同时间接触的杂交区域内重复采样，以了解基因组和表型变量在时间尺度上的选择变化。关键的科学成果将包括(1)在选择中整合基因组和时间变异的表型模式，以及(2)对重组基因组的选择的重复性进行测试。更广泛地说，该研究员将广泛地让学术学生和公众参与科学、批判性思维和对自然的欣赏；这包括提高LGBTQ研究人员和其他在STEM领域代表性不足的人的能见度和参与度。这位研究员还将接受关键的新科学培训，这些培训将增加基因组、分子和计算实验室技术方面的技能。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, 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 research component of this fellowship investigates the repeatability and predictability of evolutionary processes across whole genomes in hybrid zones. Hybrid zones offer a unique opportunity to examine how selection acts on various axes in natural populations. Through an integrative genotype-phenotype approach, this research will inspire new avenues of research in speciation, hybridization, and evolutionary biology; it will also hopefully answer a decades-old question: How predictable are evolutionary outcomes? Through this project, the Fellow will provide (1) critical training and mentoring to undergraduates (both in the laboratory and through the development of a course-based undergraduate research experience); (2) meaningful outreach opportunities to increase public engagement with, and appreciation for, nature and science; and (3) an opportunity for individuals underrepresented in STEM disciplines, including LGBTQ+ researchers, to present research findings and discuss their professional journeys. The objective of this proposal is to test the hypothesis that selection on recombinant genomes is repeatable over different temporal scales. To do so, the proposed research integrates field-based collections, natural history, classic and cutting-edge genomic methods, genotype-phenotype associations, and computational biology. The Fellow will use historic and contemporary sampling, as well as replicate sampling across the hybrid zone that came in contact at different times between North American field crickets in order to understand variation in selection on genomic and phenotypic variables across temporal scales. Key scientific outcomes will include (1) the integration of the genomic and phenotypic patterns of temporal variation in selection and (2) a test of the repeatability of selection on recombinant genomes. More broadly, the Fellow will broadly engage academic students and the public in science, critical thinking, and an appreciation for nature; this includes increasing the visibility and involvement of LGBTQ+ researchers and others who are underrepresented in STEM fields. The Fellow will also receive critical new scientific training that will add skill sets in genomic, molecular, and computational laboratory techniques.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.