NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Understanding the role of dietary toxins in shaping microbial community dynamics in the gut

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This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2023, 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. Communities of microbes that live in and on animals provide essential functions to one another and their hosts. Community structure (the types and abundances of microbes present) and function are shaped by interactions between the microbes themselves and also between microbes and their hosts. Diet, especially dietary toxins like caffeine, also contribute to differential community structures, but the ways microbial interactions and dietary toxins act together in shaping communities is not well understood. These studies will contribute to the general body of work describing the dynamic interactions between gut microbiomes and their hosts, and add a new layer (the effects of dietary toxins) to our understanding of the interaction outcomes. This new knowledge can be applied in human health contexts, where gut microbial community dynamics are known to have varied impacts on health, and has a clear application in biocontrol of the coffee berry borer, which contributes to the loss of ~$500 million in revenue in coffee growing regions. This project will also broaden participation and inclusion of underrepresented groups in biology through scientific and professional training of early career scientists and facilitating training on conflict resolution using restorative justice techniques.This project will combine observational and experimental studies to better understand the dynamics of the microbial community and dietary toxins on community structure and function in the gut microbiome of the coffee pest, Hypothenemus hampei. The bacterial community of this beetle’s gut has been well characterized, and is known to play a critical role in dietary toxin (caffeine) metabolism. The three synergistic aims of this project will advance the field’s understanding of the ecological and evolutionary contexts that shape interactions with the gut microbiome. Aim 1 will characterize the gut microbiome of H. hampei (including phage) using whole genome metagenomics complemented with culture based techniques. Aims 2 and 3 will use experimental evolution to disentangle the roles of microbial community, dietary toxins and insect host in shaping the structure and function of the gut microbiome. This project also aims to broaden participation of underrepresented groups in biology through goals that start at the individual level and expand to the broader scientific community, including scientific and professional training of early career scientists with underrepresented identities and facilitating training on conflict resolution using restorative justice techniques.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.