NSF PRFB FY 2023: Resilience of animal social systems to environmental and demographic disturbances

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，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。该奖学金支持将以创新方式对生活规则领域作出贡献的研究员的研究和培训。社会行为与动物生活的多个方面相互作用，包括空间利用、生存和繁殖。在一个加速变化的世界里，了解社会行为如何帮助动物适应不断变化的环境以及社会行为何时限制动物适应新环境是至关重要的。该项目利用理论模型和对野生亚洲象种群的长期观察，探讨1)遗传和环境因素如何影响动物社会系统的结构；2)社会系统如何随着栖息地退化和种群更替而变化。这项研究的结果为保护濒危亚洲象种群和减轻南亚和东南亚人象冲突的保护政策提供了信息。此外，该研究员为K-12、本科生和研究生开发的教材和外展活动直接有助于STEM的教育和招聘。这名研究员利用数学模型和对三个地理上和基因上孤立的亚洲象种群的现有行为观察来调查改变社会行为的因素，这些亚洲象包括三个姐妹物种：斯里兰卡亚洲象、苏门答腊亚洲象和婆罗洲亚洲象。该项目开发理论模型，利用多主体模拟和社会网络分析来评估遗传和环境因素对社会表型的作用。利用模型预测不同土地利用情景和不同周转率下的社会动态和人口持续性，为土地利用管理提供信息预测。培训活动包括：1)从研究本身获得定量研究方法的技能；2)通过与加州大学圣地亚哥分校全球政策与战略学院和非营利组织Trunk & Leaves的合作，获得保护政策和社区参与的技能；3)通过为加州大学圣地亚哥分校本科生实地方法课程、保护生物学学会年会上的研究生/年轻专业人员研讨会开发材料，获得教学和指导；以及与加州大学圣地亚哥分校教育项目CREATE和Library NExT合作，为K-12学生举办的外展活动。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, 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. Social behaviors interact with multiple facets of an animal’s life, including space use, survival, and reproduction. In a world of accelerating change, it is critical to understand how social behaviors can help animals adapt to changing environments and when social behaviors restrict animals from adapting to new conditions. This project uses theoretical models and long-term observations from wild Asian elephant populations to ask 1) how genetic and environmental factors influence the structure of animal social systems and 2) how social systems change in response to habitat degradation and population turnover. The outcomes of this research inform conservation policy to protect endangered Asian elephant populations and mitigate human-elephant conflict across South and Southeast Asia. Additionally, teaching materials and outreach activities developed by the fellow for K-12, undergraduate, and graduate students directly contribute to education and recruitment in STEM.The fellow investigates factors altering social behavior using mathematical models and existing behavioral observations from three geographically and genetically isolated island populations of Asian elephant, encompassing the three sister species: Sri Lankan, Sumatran, and Bornean Asian elephants. The project develops theoretical models to assess the role of genetic and environmental factors on social phenotypes using multiagent simulations and social network analysis. Models are used to predict social dynamics and population persistence under different land use scenarios and variable turnover rates to provide informative projections for land use management. Training activities include gaining skills in 1) quantitative research methods from the research itself, 2) conservation policy and community engagement through collaborations with the UC San Diego School of Global Policy & Strategy and the non-profit organization Trunk & Leaves, and 3) teaching and mentorship through developing materials for a UC San Diego undergraduate field methods course, a graduate/young professionals workshop at the Society for Conservation Biology annual meeting, and outreach events for K-12 students in collaboration with the UC San Diego education programs, CREATE and Library NExT.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.