NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2022: Functional morphology and performance of filter feeding giants

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。地球上一些最大的生物(鲸鱼和鲨鱼)是滤食性动物。有趣的是，体型庞大的滤食者已经进化了无数次。这项研究试图探索口腔过滤器在须鲸和晒鲨身上的功能表现。这两种鱼种都使用由矿化角蛋白组成的刷毛状过滤器从水中捕获小型猎物。须鲸和晒鲨为理解体型和觅食策略之间的关系提供了宝贵的测试案例。这项工作将为生态重要和濒危动物的生理学提供新的见解。这项工作代表了一种综合的方法，利用工程学、物理学和生物学来识别巨型刷毛滤食者使用的过滤机制。该项目将通过进行分层调查来调查过滤器的性能，从详细的解剖描述开始。根据过滤器的解剖结构，研究员将进行调查，以确定过滤器周围的流动以及过滤器的机制和性能。这将为生物启发的设计努力提供关键信息，这些努力有可能导致工业过滤系统的重大进步。此外，这些测试将澄清为什么曾经生活过的最大的脊椎动物是滤食性动物，并将提供对它们作为生态系统工程师的角色的洞察。综上所述，这些拟议的研究将为大规模过滤喂料器的融合发展提供关键见解。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, 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. Some of the largest creatures on the planet (whales and sharks) are filter feeders. Interestingly, filter feeders with enormous body sizes have evolved numerous times. This research seeks to explore the functional performance of oral filters in baleen whales and basking sharks. Both lineages filter using bristle-like filters composed of mineralized keratin to capture small prey items from the water. Baleen whales and basking sharks provide invaluable test cases for understanding the relationships between body size and foraging strategy. This work will provide new insights into the physiology of ecologically important and endangered animals.The work represents an integrative approach using engineering, physics, and biology to identify the filtration mechanisms used by giant bristle-filter feeders. The project will investigate the filter performance by performing a hierarchical investigation, beginning with detailed anatomical descriptions. Based on the filter anatomy, the fellow will perform investigations to identify the flow around the filter and the mechanisms and performance of the filter. This will provide critical information for bio-inspired designed efforts which have the potential to lead to major advances in industrial filtration systems. Furthermore, these tests will clarify why the biggest vertebrates to have ever lived are filter feeders and will provide insight into their role as ecosystem engineers. Taken together, these proposed studies will deliver key insights into the convergent evolution of massive filter feeders.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.