NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2022: Male/female reversal and the ecological implications of plasticity in development

该行动资助 2022 财年 NSF 生物学博士后研究奖学金，旨在调查基因组、环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则的综合研究。该奖学金支持研究员的研究和培训，以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。植物或动物发育的生殖器官类型和性状可能受到环境和遗传因素的综合影响。不断变化的环境中雄性/雌性发育的差异，例如雄性/雌性逆转，可能会使物种或多或少地容易受到环境变化的影响。这项研究将调查雄性/雌性发育中可塑性的原因和后果，并深入了解物种如何应对环境变化。该研究员将在这项研究中使用桡足类动物，这是一种丰富的水生生物，具有环境和经济重要性。对这些性状的调查将从有意包容的角度进行。拟议的研究将彻底检查基因 x 环境对桡足类 E. affinis 雄性/雌性发育的影响以及这种发育的分子机制。尽管已经观察到从雄性到雌性的变化，但对于 E. affinis 的雄性/雌性发育机制尚不清楚。 E. affinis也是一个栖息地扩展的模型系统，其种群已从海洋环境适应到淡水环境。将在适应一定盐度范围的自然种群中研究与生殖器官相关的性状变化。实验室隔离种群将用于追踪环境扰动如何影响这些性状的发展，这些性状可能会在雄性/雌性逆转中出现。对整个雄性/雌性发育过程中已识别形态和转录组学的基因组测序将用于鉴定可能导致雄性/雌性发育变化的推定决定基因和分子途径。总之，这项研究将为理解男性/女性发育的敏感性以及环境变化影响这些表型的机制提供一个框架。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并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，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 type of reproductive organs and traits a plant or animal develops can be influenced by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Variability in male/female development across changing environments, such as male/female reversal, may make a species more or less vulnerability to changes in the environment. This research will investigate the causes and consequences of plasticity in male/female development and provide insight into how species may respond to environmental changes. The Fellow will use copepods for this study, which are abundant aquatic organisms of environmental and economic importance. Investigation of these traits will be conducted from an intentionally inclusive perspective.The proposed research will conduct a thorough examination of gene x environmental influences on male/female development and the molecular mechanisms of this development in the copepod E. affinis. Mechanisms of male/female development are unknown for E. affinis, although changes from male to female have been observed. E. affinis is also a model system of habitat expansion with populations that have adapted from marine to freshwater environments. Variation in traits associated with reproductive organs will be investigated in natural populations adapted to a range of salinities. Lab isoline populations will be used to track how environmental perturbation influences the development of these traits, potentially arising in male/female reversal. Genome sequencing of identified morphs and transcriptomics throughout male/female development will be applied to identify putative determination genes and the molecular pathways that may contribute to variation in male/female development. Together, this research will provide a framework for understanding the sensitivity of male/female development and the mechanisms through which environmental changes can influence these phenotypes.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.