NSF PRFB FY 2023: The genomics of local adaptation of larval settlement in a biofouling marine invertebrate

这一行动为NSF 2023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。海洋生态系统中的许多动物都有一个幼虫阶段，然后转变为幼虫。影响幼虫选择定居方式和地点的因素在很大程度上是未知的。由藻类、细菌和其他微生物组成的生物膜产生各种化学线索，幼虫可以通过它们的感官系统检测到这些线索，从而做出定居决定。这项研究将使用新英格兰海洋结构和码头常见的生物污损物种大黄鱼(Ectopleura Crocea)来确定生物膜如何影响幼虫的定居。这一奖项最终将加深对幼虫定居和代价高昂的生物污垢在面对气候变化时可能发生变化的理解，并将为导致当地适应的条件提供洞察。此外，该奖项将允许研究员学习新技术，获得指导本科生研究人员的经验，并参与外联计划，以参与和支持北卡罗来纳州夏洛特市的多样化社区。该研究员将研究生物膜中微生物群落的组成如何因位置不同而不同，并影响幼虫的定居，评估当地的适应情况。这位同事假设，大黄鱼的不同种群局部适应了特定的生物膜，在那里，幼虫正在接触与成虫相关的微生物。第一个目的是通过在一组地点进行相互移植的幼虫定居实验，调查来自缅因湾不同种群的大黄鱼幼虫对独特生物膜的定居反应。它将描述生物膜中微生物的组成和功能。第二个目标将研究大黄鱼的基因组种群结构以及与来自不同种群的成虫相关的微生物。这位研究员将把这些结果与幼虫定居研究相关联，以深入了解基因-表型的相互作用。第三个目标将测试气温上升如何影响各地生物膜中的微生物群落，以及如何影响来自不同种群的幼虫的定居。通过赞助科学家的指导，该研究员将获得种群遗传学和微生物学方面的实验室和计算技能培训。该研究员将参与并共同组织北卡罗来纳大学夏洛特分校的活动，以扩大对STEM的参与。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 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. Many animals in marine ecosystems have a larval stage that transforms into a juvenile. The factors that impact how and where larvae choose to settle are largely unknown. Biofilms composed of algae, bacteria, and other microbes produce various chemical cues that larvae may detect with their sensory system to make settlement decisions. This research will use the cnidarian Ectopleura crocea, E. crocea, a biofouling species common to New England marine structures and docks, to determine how biofilms impact larval settlement. This award will ultimately deepen the understanding of how larval settlement and costly biofouling may change in the face of climate change and will provide insights into conditions that lead to local adaptation. Additionally, this award will allow the fellow to learn new techniques, gain experience mentoring undergraduate researchers, and participate in outreach programs to engage with and support the diverse community in Charlotte, North Carolina. The fellow will study how the composition of microbial communities in biofilm differs by location and influences larval settlement, assessing local adaptation. The fellow hypothesizes that distinct populations of E. crocea are locally adapted to specific biofilms, where larvae are cueing in on adult-associated microbes. The first aim will investigate the larval settlement response of E. crocea larvae from different populations in the Gulf of Maine to unique biofilms by performing reciprocal transplant larval settlement experiments across a panel of localities. It will characterize the composition and function of the microbes in the biofilm. The second aim will examine the genomic population structure of E. crocea and the microbes associated with adults from different populations. The fellow will correlate these results to the larval settlement study to gain insight into genotype-phenotype interactions. The third aim will test how increased temperatures impact microbial communities in biofilm across localities and how that impacts the settlement of larvae from different populations. Through the mentorship of the sponsoring scientist, the fellow will gain training in laboratory and computational skills in population genetics and microbiology. The fellow will participate in and co-organize activities at UNC Charlotte to broaden participation in 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.