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

该行动资助了美国国家科学基金会2022财年生物学博士后研究奖学金，研究基因组，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。植物或动物发育的生殖器官的类型和特征可能受到环境和遗传因素的综合影响。在不断变化的环境中，雄性/雌性发育的可变性，如雄性/雌性逆转，可能使一个物种或多或少地容易受到环境变化的影响。本研究将探讨雄性/雌性发育可塑性的原因和后果，并为物种如何应对环境变化提供见解。该研究员将使用桡足类进行这项研究，桡足类是丰富的水生生物，对环境和经济都具有重要意义。这些特征的调查将从一个有意的包容性的角度进行。本研究将深入研究基因x环境对类人猿雄性/雌性发育的影响及其发育的分子机制。虽然已经观察到从雄性到雌性的变化，但亲和性沙蚕的雄性/雌性发育机制尚不清楚。随着种群从海洋环境向淡水环境的适应，仿沙蚕也是栖息地扩张的典范系统。与生殖器官相关的性状变异将在适应一系列盐度的自然种群中进行研究。实验室等值种群将用于跟踪环境扰动如何影响这些性状的发展，这些性状可能在雄性/雌性逆转中产生。对男性/女性发育过程中已鉴定的形态和转录组学进行基因组测序，将用于鉴定可能导致男性/女性发育变异的推定决定基因和分子途径。总之，这项研究将为理解男性/女性发育的敏感性和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。

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.