RII Track-4: Enhancing Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies and Research Funding Opportunities in Sensory Neurobiology through Studies of Crustacean Vision

非技术描述比较不同类型动物眼睛的发育，为了解视觉系统是如何工作的，以及动物如何利用视觉信息相互作用以及与环境互动提供了一个非凡的自然实验室。这项研究将研究两种甲壳类动物--螳螂虾和桡足类动物的功能，这两种动物的眼睛与大多数其他动物截然不同。该奖学金将在特拉华大学海洋科学与政策学院举行，与国际公认的甲壳类视觉生理学和行为研究人员合作。该奖学金将为PI和一名研究生提供培训，这些技术可以测量细胞电输出的变化，以表征眼睛功能在发育过程中的变化。通过特别研究这两个物种，并通过DNA分析将新学到的技术与PI在进化研究方面的专业知识结合起来，拟议的研究将揭示视觉系统的发育变化如何影响动物的行为。该项目中获得的知识将被整合到夏威夷大学马诺阿分校(UHM)新开发的感觉生物学课程中。此外，这项工作将通过两个由UHM NSF资助的本科生暑期研究项目(REU)为本科生提供暑期研究经验，其中一个项目专门针对夏威夷原住民和太平洋岛民学生的参与。该奖学金将为PI和一名研究生提供甲壳类特定电生理学和行为技术方面的培训，为他们提供跨学科工具，将分子进化与生理功能和行为输出联系起来，实现视觉系统进化中真正综合的研究计划。这项工作将集中于为两种具有独特眼睛的甲壳类动物-口足类动物Squilla empusa和桡足类动物Labidocera aestiva-生成新的个体发生数据集，以研究感觉系统多样化的发展和进化。其具体的项目目标是利用电生理学来描述复杂的口足类和简单的桡足类眼睛的特征，以描述潜在的光感受器多样性和功能，并通过行为分析来确定特定的视觉能力在发育过程中何时变得有功能。视觉系统形式和功能研究的两种新方法的加入将对PI的研究计划产生变革，为本科生和研究生提供广泛的综合培训，并通过更综合的实验设计使未来的提案更具竞争力。相反，在特拉华大学花费的时间将允许东道主实验室成员进行分子技术方面的互惠培训，从而在两个机构提供相同的综合培训。拟议的项目将在甲壳类分子进化和视觉生理学领域的领导者之间建立合作，并加强新启动的与PI总部机构其他研究单位的合作。

Non-Technical Description Comparing the development of distinct types of animal eyes provides a remarkable 'natural laboratory' for understanding how visual systems work, and how animals use visual information to interact with each other and with their environment.  This research will study the function of two crustacean species, the mantis shrimp and a copepod, which have vastly different eyes than most other animals. This fellowship will take place in the School of Marine Science and Policy at the University of Delaware, working with an internationally recognized researcher in crustacean visual physiology and behavior. The fellowship will provide training to the PI and a graduate student in techniques that measure changes in electrical output of cells to characterize changes in eye function over the course of development.  By studying these two species in particular, and coupling newly learned techniques with the PI's expertise in evolutionary studies through DNA analysis, the proposed research will reveal how developmental changes in visual systems affect the behavior of an animal.  The knowledge gained in the project will be integrated into a newly developed course in Sensory Biology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM). In addition, the work will be used to provide summer research experience to undergraduates through two funded UHM NSF funded REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) summer programs, one of which specifically targets the involvement of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students.   Technical DescriptionThis fellowship will provide training for the PI and a graduate student in crustacean-specific electrophysiology and behavioral techniques, providing them with the interdisciplinary tools to link molecular evolution with physiological function and behavioral output for a truly integrated research program in visual system evolution. The work will focus on generating novel ontogenetic datasets for two crustaceans with unique eyes, the stomatopod Squilla empusa and the copepod Labidocera aestiva, to investigate the development and evolution of sensory system diversification.  Specific project goals are to characterize complex stomatopod and simple copepod eyes using electrophysiology to describe underlying photoreceptor diversity and function, and behavioral assays to establish when particular visual capabilities become functional during development. The addition of two new methodologies for studies of visual system form and function will be transformative for the PI's research program, generating broad, integrative training for both undergraduate and graduate students and making future proposals more competitive through more integrated experimental designs.  Conversely, time spent at the University of Delaware will allow for reciprocal training in molecular techniques for members of the host laboratory, thus providing the same integrative training across two institutions. The proposed project will establish a collaboration between leaders in the fields of crustacean molecular evolution and visual physiology, as well as strengthen newly-initiated collaborations with other research units at the PI's home institution.