NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Delineating ecological and evolutionary controls on animal gut microbiomes

这一行动资助了NSF 2022财年生物学博士后研究奖学金，扩大了生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。该研究金支持一项针对该研究员的研究和培训计划，该计划将增加生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。动物的肠道被不同的微生物群落定居，这些微生物为动物宿主提供至关重要的功能，包括消化、免疫功能和行为调节。这些微生物群落被称为“肠道微生物群”，已被证明是宿主健康和疾病的可靠预测因子，通常比宿主的基因组更可靠。虽然对肠道微生物群的了解已经取得了重大进展，但大多数研究都集中在哺乳动物的宿主上--而来自其他群体的宿主，如鱼、爬行动物或昆虫，在很大程度上被忽视了。对更多样化的宿主进行采样可以更好地理解支配动物肠道微生物群的生物和生态“规则”。该项目旨在生成迄今为止最全面的动物肠道微生物组数据集，以更好地了解肠道微生物组的起源，以及动物的进化历史和当前生态如何影响其肠道内的微生物群落。该项目还将扩大对STEM的参与，将博士后科学家与来自代表性不足背景的高中生联系起来，创建一个将对现有和有抱负的科学家产生积极影响的导师网络。这项研究的主要目标是使用大量的比较肠道微生物组数据集来建立肠道微生物组的准确模型，该模型同时考虑到微生物和宿主的进化和多样性。具体地说，该项目将1)评估整个动物界肠道微生物和宿主之间的共同进化程度，2)确定宿主饮食、系统发育、生境在塑造动物肠道微生物群方面的相对贡献，3)建立肠道微生物群的预测模型，同时考虑微生物和宿主的多样性。该研究员将总共采集1500种哺乳动物、800种鱼类、500种鸟类、200种爬行动物、180种两栖动物和150种昆虫的肠道微生物样本，总计3300个宿主物种--这是基于当前文献的最大和最多样化的动物肠道微生物群采集尝试。该研究员还将接受用于生成和分析元基因组数据的最新计算和实验室方法的培训，以及如何通过各种媒介有效地向公众传达项目结果。此外，该研究员将与西北大学校园组织合作，招募未被充分代表的本科生进入STEM。这一奖项反映了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, Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology. The Fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. The intestines of animals are colonized by diverse communities of microbes that provide vital functions for their animal host, including digestion, immune function, and modulation of behavior. These microbial communities, termed “gut microbiomes”, have been shown to be reliable predictors of host health and disease, often more so than the host’s genome. While significant progress has been made in the understanding of the gut microbiome, a majority of studies have focused on mammal hosts—whereas hosts from other groups, such as fish, reptiles, or insects, have largely been ignored. Sampling a more diverse range of hosts can provide a better understanding of the biological and ecological “rules” that govern animal gut microbiomes. This project aims to generate the most comprehensive animal gut microbiome dataset to date, in order to better understand the origins of the gut microbiome and how an animal’s evolutionary past and current ecology impact the community of microbes within their gut. This project also will broaden participation in STEM by connecting postdoctoral scientists with high school students from underrepresented backgrounds to create a mentorship network that will positively impact both current and aspiring scientists. The main objective of this research is to use a massive comparative gut microbiome dataset to build an accurate model of the gut microbiome that accounts for both microbial and host evolution and diversity. Specifically, the project will 1) assess the extent of coevolution between gut microbes and hosts across the animal kingdom, 2) determine the relative contributions of host diet, phylogeny, habitat in shaping animal gut microbiomes, and 3) build a predictive model of the gut microbiome that accounts for both microbial and host diversity. In total, the fellow will collect gut microbiomes samples from 1500 mammalian species, 800 fish species, 500 bird species, 200 reptile species, 180 amphibian species, and 150 insect species, totaling 3300 host species—the largest and most diverse animal gut microbiome collection attempt based on the current literature. The fellow will also be trained in the latest computational and laboratory methods used for generating and analyzing metagenomic data and how to effectively communicate the project results to the public in various mediums. Additionally, the fellow will collaborate with Northwestern campus organizations to recruit underrepresented undergraduates into STEM.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.