NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: The Effects of Microbiome Ecological and Evolutionary Origin on Plant-Microbiome (Co)Evolution

这一行动为NSF 2021财年生物学博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，综合研究调查了支配基因组、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。这位研究员将研究微生物群落的进化和生态，微生物群落是复杂的微生物群落，对生态系统的正常运行及其经常伴随的复杂生物体的健康至关重要。在农业中，与植物相关的微生物群已被证明影响植物的健康和对环境因素的反应。该项目将致力于确定微生物组进化的模式及其对植物适宜性的影响，以便建立维持植物和微生物组健康的农业做法，以便更好地进行作物管理和粮食生产。目前，全球对粮食的需求在未来30年预计将增加35%-56%，这突显了重新评估农业实践的必要性，以便最大限度地提高植物-微生物组的适宜性以及农业生产力和可持续性。为此，我们必须了解影响微生物群落进化的因素及其对植物-微生物群落相互作用、适应和适合度的影响。通过利用实验性的共同进化方法，该项目将确定微生物群落先前的选择环境是否影响微生物群落的组装、功能和与新植物宿主相关的适应潜力。具体地说，这位研究员试图回答两个问题：(1)微生物群落以前与异种或同种植物宿主的联系是否会影响随后宿主上的群落适应？(2)微生物群适应于常见农用化学品对微生物群功能和植物宿主适合性的影响是什么？要做到这一点，从番茄叶圈分离的细菌组成的合成微生物群落将在同种、异种或交替的植物寄主上进化，无论是否使用共同的农用化学品，然后返回到同种寄主。在共同进化之后，将评估微生物群落的遗传和功能变化以及宿主植物的适合度，以揭示微生物组的起源和相互作用历史将如何以及何时影响微生物组的进化和植物-寄主的适合度。此外，拟议的研究将为本科生提供参与实验、数据分析和研究陈述的培训机会。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 2021, 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 fellow will research the evolution and ecology of microbiomes, which are complex microbial communities critical for proper ecosystem functioning and the health of the complex organisms they often associate with. In agriculture, plant-associated microbiomes have been demonstrated to influence plant health and response to environmental factors. This project will work towards establishing the modes of microbiome evolution and their consequences on plant fitness in order to establish agricultural practices that maintain both plant and microbiome health for greater crop management and food production. Currently, the global demand for food is expected to increase by 35-56% in the next 30 years, highlighting the need for the reevaluation of agricultural practices such that plant-microbiome fitness as well as agricultural productivity and sustainability are maximized. To this end, it is imperative that we understand the factors that influence microbiome evolution and their effects on plant-microbiome interactions, adaptation, and fitness.By leveraging experimental coevolution approaches, this project will determine whether a microbiome’s previous selection environment influences microbial community assembly, function, and adaptive potential when associated with a new plant host. Specifically, the fellow seeks to answer two questions: (1) does a microbial community’s previous associations with heterospecific or conspecific plant hosts influence community adaptation on subsequent hosts?; and (2) what are the consequences of microbiome adaptation to common agricultural chemicals on microbiome function and plant host fitness? To do so, a synthetic microbial community composed of bacteria isolated from the tomato phyllosphere will be evolved on conspecific, heterospecific, or alternating plant hosts with or without common agricultural chemicals before returning to its conspecific host. After coevolution, the genetic and functional changes of the microbial community and the fitness of the host plant will be evaluated to uncover how and when microbiome origin and interaction history will affect microbiome evolution and plant-host fitness. Additionally, the proposed research will allow for training opportunities for undergraduate students through their involvement in experimentation, data analysis, and research presentations.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.