NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Climate adaptation in the willow flycatcher

研究员名称：Sheela Phansalkar turbek提案号：2208881研究标题：整合基因型，表型和环境数据以评估候鸟对气候变化的进化反应赞助科学家和主办机构：Kristen Ruegg，科罗拉多州立大学该行动资助了2022财年NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金，综合研究调查基因组，环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则。该奖学金支持将以创新方式对生活规则领域作出贡献的研究员的研究和培训。气候变化正在扰乱许多物种的季节性行为和繁殖活动，将一些生物推向灭绝的边缘。物种对气候变化的反应可能是通过改变它们的分布来逃避变暖的温度，或者留在原地以适应变化的环境条件。本研究利用现代和历史上受威胁的候鸟捕柳蝇（emidonax traillii）的标本，研究了自20世纪初以来，种群如何在遗传水平上适应变暖的条件，以及过去对气候变化的适应程度是否可以解释最近种群数量的下降。该项目将提高研究人员准确预测物种对环境变化的反应的能力，并将这些信息纳入管理决策，以减轻广泛的种群下降。为了增加这项研究的影响力，该研究员将与科罗拉多州的第一标题学校进行当地推广，开发双语、开源的进化教材，并协助在拉丁美洲举办国际基因组学研讨会。该研究将结合当代和历史柳捕蝇蝇的相对丰度信息和基因组测序数据，研究上个世纪柳捕蝇蝇在适应相关性状（即物种的适应潜力）、气候适应和种群轨迹方面的遗传变异之间的关系。该研究员将首先使用环境、表型和基因组数据分析方面的新兴方法来识别与气候适应和气候相关特征（身体和喙大小）相关的基因组区域。接下来，他将追踪与气候和表型相关的基因组区域的等位基因频率是否跟踪了过去一个世纪的气候变化。最后，研究员将评估通过等位基因频率的变化来追踪过去气候的程度是否能预测相对丰度随时间的变化模式。该研究员将接受科罗拉多州立大学保护基因组学和课程开发专家的培训，以有效地交流科学发现，并吸引来自代表性不足背景的学生参与科学过程。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

Fellow's name: Sheela Phansalkar TurbekProposal number: 2208881Research title: Integrating genotype, phenotype, and environmental data to assess evolutionary response to climate change in a migratory birdSponsoring scientist(s) and host institution(s): Kristen Ruegg, Colorado State UniversityThis 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. Climate change is disrupting the seasonal behavior and reproductive activities of many species, driving some organisms to the brink of extinction. Species may respond to a changing climate by shifting their distribution to escape warming temperatures or remaining in place and adapting to altered environmental conditions. This study takes advantage of modern and historical specimens of the willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii), a threatened migratory bird, to study how populations have adapted at a genetic level to warming conditions since the early 1900s and whether the extent of past adaptation to climate change could explain recent population declines. This project will improve the ability of researchers to accurately predict species responses to environmental change and incorporate this information into management decisions to mitigate widespread population declines. To increase the impact of this research, the fellow will conduct local outreach with Title I schools in Colorado, develop bilingual, open-source evolution teaching materials, and assist with international genomics workshops in Latin America.The study will combine relative abundance information and genomic sequencing data from contemporary and historical willow flycatchers to investigate the relationships among genetic variation in fitness-related traits (i.e., a species’ adaptive potential), climate adaptation, and population trajectories over the last century. The fellow will first use emerging methods in environmental, phenotypic, and genomic data analysis to identify regions of the genome that are associated with climate adaptation and climate-linked traits (body and bill size). Next, the fellow will track whether allele frequencies at climate- and phenotype-associated genomic regions have tracked shifts in climate over the past century. Finally, the fellow will evaluate whether the extent of past climate tracking through shifts in allele frequencies predicts patterns of relative abundance over time. The fellow will receive training from experts in conservation genomics and curriculum development at Colorado State University to effectively communicate scientific findings and engage students from underrepresented backgrounds in the scientific process.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.