NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: A community guided assessment of parasitic threats to fish health

该行动资助了美国国家科学基金会2023财年生物学博士后研究奖学金，扩大生物学中代表性不足群体的参与。该奖学金支持研究员的研究和培训计划，该计划将增加在生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。Lac du Flambeau印第安保留区位于威斯康辛州北部，是苏必利尔湖奇佩瓦印第安人Lac du Flambeau部落的家园，这里有250多个淡水湖，里面有鱼、无脊椎动物、水生植物和病原体。Lac du Flambeau部落拥有并经营着William J. Poupart高级鱼类孵化场，该孵化场负责在保留区边界内和整个五大湖割让领土内饲养和饲养数十万种在文化和社会上重要的鱼类，并有责任评估孵化场和保留区湖泊中的鱼类健康状况。该研究与Lac du Flambeau鱼类孵化场合作，旨在增加对该地区湖泊和孵化场内鱼类和病原体发展的多个阶段威胁鱼类的传染性病原体的认识，并开始解决气候变化和人为湖泊变化对该地区淡水鱼种群长期健康的影响。该研究员将通过与奇卡诺人/西班牙裔美国人科学促进协会（SACNAS）和土著基因组学暑期实习协会（SING）合作的活动，扩大土著人民对生物学的参与，作为研究的一部分。该项目将对整个地区的鱼类病原体进行广泛评估，以确定哪些病原体存在于何种严重程度，并确定寄生虫宿主的发育和严重程度。该研究员将首先通过显微镜和DNA条形码调查收获和捕获的鱼（cisco, muskellunge, shiners, walleye）器官的寄生虫和季节性感染率。该项目还将调查威斯康辛州北部已知的绦虫，并评估它们的感染水平与湖泊分类、中间宿主存在、鱼龄和大小之间的关系。本项目的最终目的是研究眼绦虫物种的发育和生命周期。该研究员将建立实验室和室外系统，通过其生命周期培养虎尾双头绦虫和latphyllobothrium，以开发基于地点的模型系统，以了解寄生虫和宿主的相互作用。该研究员将通过举办美洲土著实习生和以土著为重点的季节性研讨会，扩大土著人民对生物学的参与，并将与Lac du Flambeau民族及其社区成员长期合作。该研究员还将继续参加奇卡诺人/西班牙裔美国人科学进步协会（SACNAS）和土著基因组学暑期实习协会（SING），并接受培训。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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, 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 Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation, located in northern Wisconsin, is home to the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians and to over 250 freshwater lakes containing fish, invertebrates, aquatic plants, and pathogens. The Lac du Flambeau Tribe owns and operates the William J. Poupart, Sr. Fish Hatchery, which is responsible for raising and stocking hundreds of thousands of culturally and socially important fish to lakes within the reservation boundaries and throughout the Great Lakes Ceded territory and has duties to assess fish health in the hatchery and reservation lakes. This research, in collaboration with the Lac du Flambeau Fish Hatchery, aims to increase the knowledge of infectious pathogens threatening fish in area lakes and within the hatchery at multiple stages of fish and pathogen development, and begins to address questions on the long-term health of freshwater fish populations in the region in terms of a changing climate, and human-induced changes in lakes. The fellow will broaden participation of Indigenous peoples in biology as part of the research and through activities in conjunction with the Society for the Advancement for Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and the Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics (SING).This project will do a broad assessment of fish pathogens throughout the region to determine what pathogens are present at what severity and determine parasite host development and severity across time. The fellow will first survey harvested and trapped fish (cisco, muskellunge, shiners, walleye) organs for parasites and seasonal infections rates by microscopy and DNA barcoding. The project will also investigate known tapeworms in northern Wisconsin and evaluate how their infection levels correlate with lake classification, intermediate host presence, and fish age and size. The final goal of this project is to investigate the development and life cycle of walleye tapeworm species. The fellow will establish lab and outdoor systems to culture both Bothriocephalus cuspidatus and Diphyllobothrium latum through their life cycles to develop a place-based model system to understand parasite and host interactions. The fellow will broaden participation of Indigenous peoples in biology by hosting Native American interns and Indigenous-focused seasonal workshops and will engage long-term with the Lac du Flambeau Nation and its community members. The fellow will also continue affiliations and trainings with the Society for the Advancement for Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and the Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics (SING).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.