NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2020: Going back in time: using museum collections to reconstruct the history of a host shift in an invasive insect

本行动资助美国国家科学基金会2020年度生物学博士后研究奖学金，利用生物馆藏进行研究。该奖学金支持研究和培训将以创新的方式利用生物收集的研究员。昆虫和它们所吃的植物之间的相互作用影响着生物多样性，而引入非本地物种为了解这些引入的昆虫如何适应新的食物来源提供了一个独特的窗口。本研究利用博物馆收藏的大量历史数据，重建了一种入侵害虫在100年的时间里是如何适应当地寄主植物的。通过整合田野调查、实验室工作以及来自历史和当前样本的基因组数据，该研究员将深入了解入侵物种如何随着时间和不同环境的变化而适应。更好地了解入侵物种如何改变以适应新环境对于理解进化以及制定农业有害生物管理策略至关重要。这项研究还将为研究员提供培训，以使用和贡献被低估的博物馆藏品，在实地研究中指导来自代表性不足群体的个人，并创建一个网站，让公众参与害虫鉴定。该研究员将研究入侵松锯蝇Diprion similis在适应本地松树的过程中发生的形态、行为和遗传变化。1914年首次被引入北美，西米利斯松迅速转变为当地的白松。为了重建这一宿主转移的历史，该研究员将结合来自3个国际机构的大量博物馆藏品以及当代人群的样本。首先，研究员将使用博物馆标本和相关宿主数据来评估整个入侵历史中本地和引进范围的形态和行为变化。其次，研究员将评估这些形态和行为变化是否具有适应性，方法是通过重新访问历史收集地点，并结合实地调查和实验室分析来衡量宿主偏好和宿主表现。最后，该项目旨在使用来自现代和历史样本的全基因组重测序数据来揭示北美入侵的人口历史。总之，该项目旨在解决几个长期存在的关于宿主专业化和入侵物种快速适应的问题，同时满足几个职业培训目标。该研究员将成为与D. similis合作的专家，并开发基因组技能和资源，以便在独立研究职位上使用这一新颖的研究系统。该项目更广泛的影响包括学生指导和公众参与。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 2020, Research Using Biological Collections. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will utilize biological collections in innovative ways. Interactions between insects and the plants they eat impacts biodiversity, and the introduction of a non-native species provides a unique window into the earliest stages of how these introduced insects adapt to a new food source. This research uses a wealth of historical data in museum collections to reconstruct how an invasive insect pest adapted to a native host plant over a 100-year period. By integrating fieldwork, laboratory work, and genomic data from historical and current samples, the fellow will gain insight into how invasive species adapt over time and in different environments. Better knowledge of how invasive species change to fit their new surroundings is vital for understanding evolution, as well as developing strategies for agricultural pest management. This research will also provide training for the fellow to use and contribute to undervalued museum collections, mentor individuals from underrepresented groups in field research, and create a website for public engagement in pest identification. The fellow will investigate the morphological, behavioral, and genetic changes that accompanied adaptation to a native pine in the invasive pine sawfly Diprion similis. First introduced to North America in 1914, D. similis rapidly shifted to native White Pine, Pinus strobus. To reconstruct the history of this host shift, the fellow will combine extensive museum collections of D. similis from 3 international institutions together with sampling from contemporary populations. First, the fellow will use museum specimens and associated host data to assess morphological and behavioral change across both the native and introduced ranges over the entire history of the invasion. Second, the fellow will evaluate whether these morphological and behavioral changes are adaptive by revisiting historical collection sites and using a combination of field surveys and laboratory assays to measure host preference and host performance. Finally, the project aims to use whole-genome resequencing data from both modern and historical samples to uncover the demographic history of the North American invasion. Together, this project aims to address several longstanding questions about host specialization and rapid adaptation in invasive species, while meeting several career training goals. The fellow will become an expert in working with D. similis, as well as develop genomic skills and resources to enable use of this novel study system in an independent research position. The broader impacts of the project include student mentoring and public engagement.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.