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

该行动资助了2022财年的NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金，即调查基因组，环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则的综合研究。该研究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。鸣禽表达了纬度梯度在父亲的照顾，与南方男性提供更多的照顾后代比北方男性。这项研究将利用这种行为的自然变化来解决父亲护理的生理和神经控制。该研究员将比较不同纬度的男性父系行为，因为它与两种已知的调节父母行为的激素有关，并将调查更多父系和更少父系男性之间这些行为的神经控制。这项研究将深入了解父亲照顾的演变，以及这些行为是如何在不断变化的生态条件下在人群中和人群之间进行管理的。该研究员将通过指导志愿者、技术人员、研究员将调查睾酮和催乳素的变化如何介导雄性生活史策略的变化，并确定潜在的基因网络，在男性家麻雀（Passer arteriticus）的父系行为。为了将这两种激素的自然变化与雄性孵化行为联系起来，将在沿着从ND到TX的纬度梯度的四个地点对雄性进行采样。 相对于南方男性，预计北方男性的睾酮水平升高，催乳素水平降低，父母照顾减少。为了确定这些激素在影响父母行为中的因果作用，将在各研究中心对睾酮和催乳素进行实验性操作。实验性阻断睾酮和增加催乳素预计会增加父母的行为。最后，将从孵化的雄性、几乎没有孵化时间的雄性和孵化的雌性收集脑组织，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种群中是否相似。该研究员将通过与北达科他州的既定计划，以刺激竞争力的研究组织和NDSU的ROPES计划从事从不同的申请人群体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协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. 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.