NSF PRFB FY 2023: Testing the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient

NSF PRFB 2023 财年：测试纬度多样性梯度

• 批准号: 2305612
• 负责人: Kyle David
• 金额: $ 24万
• 依托单位: David, Kyle T
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-01 至 2026-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2305612&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; PRFB; FY; 2023; Testing

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2023, 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 fellowship aims to study patterns of distribution of living organisms across tropical and polar latitudes. Prior studies of the distributions of species show that the diversity of living organisms tends to decrease with distance from the equator. Even though this pattern is global and has been known since the days of Charles Darwin, we still do not know what causes this trend. This research will explore how the distinct diversity of living organisms across latitudes arose by comparing species formation in tropical, temperate, and polar environments. By discovering regions where species are more likely to originate, the fellow will work to uncover the history and distribution of biodiversity across the planet. A more complete understanding of how biodiversity operates across geographic scales will contribute to our ability to mitigate invasive species, diseases and their vectors, and the costs of climate change. Research activities will be accompanied by several education and outreach efforts directed at incarcerated and formerly-incarcerated populations in the Nashville area.This project will explore the latitudinal diversity gradient by conducting a series of large-scale diversification studies. Due to the breadth of sampling required to estimate global diversification, current studies are largely limited to densely sampled groups in vertebrates and vascular plants. This limits the scope of our understanding both phylogenetically and geographically, as these groups are largely restricted to tropical and temperate climes. To address these knowledge gaps, this research will generate global diversification gradients in a previously unexplored kingdom (Fungi) and two marine invertebrate clades (Polynoidae and Pycnogonida) with circumpolar distributions. Diversification gradients will be inferred through a combination of methods explicitly designed to accommodate concerns recently raised over the ability of diversification analyses to distinguish between hypotheses. These include nonparametric approaches, hidden state speciation extinction models, and new methods incorporating diversity-dependence and paleogeographic shifts. The work will also be integrated into multiple broader impact efforts, including the Evolutionary Studies Initiative and Maximizing Access to Research Careers programs at Vanderbilt University, as well as develop new outreach and engagement materials geared toward prison education.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.

该行动资助了2023财年NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金，即研究基因组、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。该奖学金旨在研究热带和极地纬度生物体的分布模式。先前对物种分布的研究表明，生物多样性往往随着远离赤道而减少。尽管这种模式是全球性的，而且自查尔斯达尔文时代以来就已为人所知，但我们仍然不知道是什么导致了这种趋势。这项研究将通过比较热带，温带和极地环境中的物种形成来探索不同纬度生物体的独特多样性。通过发现物种更有可能起源的地区，该研究员将致力于揭示全球生物多样性的历史和分布。更全面地了解生物多样性如何在地理尺度上运作，将有助于我们减轻入侵物种、疾病及其载体以及气候变化成本的能力。在开展研究活动的同时，还将针对纳什维尔地区的被监禁者和以前被监禁者开展若干教育和宣传工作，该项目将通过开展一系列大规模多样化研究，探索纬度多样化梯度。由于估计全球多样性所需的取样范围很广，目前的研究主要限于脊椎动物和维管植物的密集取样群体。这限制了我们对生物遗传学和地理学的理解范围，因为这些群体主要局限于热带和温带气候。为了解决这些知识差距，这项研究将产生全球多样性梯度在以前未探索的王国（真菌）和两个海洋无脊椎动物分支（Polynoidae和Pycnogonida）与极地分布。多样化梯度将通过一系列方法来推断，这些方法的明确设计是为了适应最近对多样化分析区分各种假设的能力提出的关切。这些方法包括非参数方法，隐藏状态物种灭绝模型，并结合多样性依赖和古地理变化的新方法。这项工作也将被纳入多个更广泛的影响力的努力，包括进化研究倡议和最大限度地获得研究职业计划在范德比尔特大学，以及开发新的外展和参与材料，面向监狱教育。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响力审查标准的支持。