NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2022: The endocrine and neurogenomic regulation of male parental care strategies

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。鸣禽在父亲照顾方面表现出纬度梯度，南方雄性比北方雄性对后代提供更多的照顾。这项研究将利用行为的这种自然变化来解决父亲照料的生理和神经控制问题。这位研究员将比较不同纬度的男性父亲行为，因为它与两种已知的调节父母行为的荷尔蒙有关，并将调查父亲更多和父亲更少的男性对这些行为的神经控制。这项研究将深入了解父性关怀的演变，以及随着生态条件的变化，这些行为是如何在种群内和种群之间管理的。这位研究员将通过指导志愿者、技术人员和来自代表性不足群体的研究生来实现这些目标，同时在四个研究地点开发和执行独立的研究项目。研究员将调查睾丸激素和催乳素的变化如何调节雄性生活史策略的变化，并确定控制雄性家雀(家雀)父性行为的潜在基因网络。为了将这两种激素的自然变化与雄性孵化行为联系起来，将在从ND到TX的纬度梯度上的四个地点对雄性进行采样。据预测，与南方男性相比，北方男性的睾丸激素升高，催乳素抑制，父母的照顾减少。为了确定这些荷尔蒙在影响父母行为中的因果作用，将对睾酮和催乳素进行跨部位的实验操作。通过实验阻断睾丸素和增加催乳素，预计会增加父母的行为。最后，将从孵化中的雄性和雌性孵化中收集脑组织，以确定下丘脑中控制雄性孵化行为的潜在基因网络，并确定它们在性别和人群中是否相似。该研究员将通过参与北达科他州激励竞争性研究组织的既定计划和NDSU的ROPES计划，从不同的申请者群体中招募技术人员和志愿者。参与者将在开发和执行独立研究项目的同时帮助研究员实现研究目标。该奖项反映了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. Songbirds express a latitudinal gradient in paternal care, with southern males providing more care for offspring than northern males. This research will leverage this natural variation in behavior to address the physiological and neurological control of paternal care. The fellow will compare male paternal behavior across latitudes as it relates to two hormones known to regulate parental behaviors, and will investigate the neurological control of these behaviors between more paternal and less paternal males. This research will add insight into the evolution of paternal care and how these behaviors are governed within and across populations with changing ecological conditions. The fellow will achieve these goals by mentoring volunteers, technicians, and graduate students from underrepresented groups that will assist with these research goals while developing and executing independent research projects at four research sites.The fellow will investigate how variation in testosterone and prolactin mediate variation in male life history strategies and identify potential gene networks governing paternal behaviors in male house sparrows (Passer domesticus). To relate natural variation in these two hormones to male incubation behavior, males will be sampled at four sites along a latitudinal gradient from ND to TX. Northern males are predicted to have elevated testosterone, suppressed prolactin, and reduced parental care relative to southern males. To establish causal roles of these hormones in influencing parental behavior, testosterone and prolactin will be experimentally manipulated across sites. Experimentally blocking testosterone and increasing prolactin is predicted to increase parental behavior. Finally, brain tissue will be collected from incubating males, males that spend little to no time incubating, and incubating females to identify potential gene networks in the hypothalamus that govern male incubation behaviors and determine if they are similar across sexes and populations. The fellow will recruit technicians and volunteers from a diverse group of applicants by engaging with the North Dakota’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research organization and NDSU’s ROPES program. Participants will assist the fellow with research goals while developing and executing independent research projects.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.