NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Identifying Olfactory Pathways that Establish Species Barriers in Cichlid Fish

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。这项研究调查慈鲷如何感知信息素来选择配偶。了解配偶选择的生物学很重要，因为配偶选择可以决定一个物种是否会分裂成为许多物种，或者密切相关的物种是否会融合在一起成为一个物种。信息素是许多动物（从昆虫到鱼类再到灵长类动物）用来选择配偶的关键信号。慈鲷鱼是研究信息素在配偶选择中的作用的理想模型，因为有数百种慈鲷鱼生活在相同的环境中并且可以杂交，但它们不会因为配偶选择的决定而这样做。这项研究将揭示慈鲷用来感知信息素和选择配偶的基因和大脑回路。这项研究的成果将与物种保护工作相关，并将推动进化神经科学领域的发展。该研究员将让来自不同背景的公立大学生（生物学和非生物学专业）参与研究过程，他们将通过受生物学启发的公共艺术装置向更广泛的公众传达他们的发现。女性配偶选择是性选择的主要驱动力，有助于生殖隔离和物种形成。尽管有证据表明慈鲷鱼的爆炸性适应性辐射部分是由雌性配偶选择驱动的，并且嗅觉（信息素）线索对于慈鲷雌性配偶选择至关重要，但人们对慈鲷用于嗅觉配偶识别的分子或神经机制知之甚少。这项研究将利用 CRISPR 介导的基因组操作、单核 RNA 测序和自动行为跟踪来表征雌性择偶和生殖隔离所需的嗅觉机制。这些机制发现，结合更广泛的慈鲷文献和可用的基因组资源，将为生成和测试有关脊椎动物分子进化和物种形成的假设提供有价值的模型。通过这项研究，研究员将获得最先进的研究方法的经验，并在研究过程中培训本科生。该研究员还将在整个研究过程中获得促进科学家和非科学家之间交流的经验，并练习通过学生主导的公共艺术向公众传播进化生物学概念。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. This research investigates how cichlid fish sense pheromones to choose a mate. Understanding the biology of mate choice is important because mate choice can determine whether one species will split to become many species, or whether closely-related species will blend together to become one. Pheromones are a key signal that many animals, from insects to fish to primates, use to choose a mate. Cichlid fishes are the ideal model for studying the role of pheromones in mate choice because there are hundreds of cichlid species that live in the same environment and could interbreed, yet they do not do so because of their mate choice decisions. This research will reveal the genes and brain circuits that cichlid fish use to sense pheromones and choose a mate. Outcomes of this research will be relevant to species conservation efforts, and will advance the field of evolutionary neuroscience. The Fellow will engage public university students (biology and non-biology majors) from diverse backgrounds in the research process who will communicate their findings to the wider public through biology-inspired public art installations.Female mate choice is a major driver of sexual selection contributing to reproductive isolation and speciation. Despite evidence that the explosive adaptive radiation of cichlid fish is driven in part by female mate choice, and that olfactory (pheromone) cues are essential for female mate choice in cichlids, very little is known about the molecular or neural mechanisms that cichlids use for olfactory mate recognition. This research will use CRISPR-mediated genomic manipulation, single-nucleus RNA sequencing, and automated behavior tracking to characterize the olfactory sensory mechanisms necessary for female mate choice and reproductive isolation. These mechanistic findings, taken in context with the wider cichlid literature and available genomic resources, will provide a valuable model for generating and testing hypotheses about vertebrate molecular evolution and speciation. Through this research the Fellow will gain experience in state-of-the-art research methods and train undergraduate mentees in the research process. The Fellow will also gain experience in fostering cross-talk between scientists and non-scientists throughout the research process, and practice communicating evolutionary biology concepts to the general public through student-led public art.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.