NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Understanding the genetic and physiologic adaptations to thermally challenging environments in Chinook Salmon.

这一行动为NSF 2021财年生物学博士后研究奖学金提供了资金，综合研究调查了支配基因组、环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则。该奖学金支持研究员的研究和培训，这些研究员将以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。这位研究员的研究将调查奇努克鲑鱼适应气候变化导致的溪流温度变暖的能力。像许多水生生物一样，随着气候变暖，奇努克鲑鱼正在努力适应，在过去的几十年里，种群数量一直在稳步下降。鉴于奇努克鲑鱼的文化和生态意义，人们对将该物种恢复到曾经丰富的水平非常感兴趣，但这些鱼应对气候变化后果的能力尚不清楚。这项研究将调查奇努克鲑鱼耐热性的生理决定因素，并确定北美西海岸现有种群适应溪流温度变暖的能力。这项工作通过提高我们对鲑鱼耐热性和适应能力的理解，有可能造福社会。此外，该研究员还将从面向少数族裔的本科项目中招聘和培训初级科学家，重点是学术网络建设，以改善受训人员的职业轨迹，并扩大未被充分代表的群体在科学领域的参与。这项工作将利用奇努克鲑鱼种群中自然发生的变异来了解站立遗传和环境变异如何相互作用来产生适应性表型。这项工作将通过两个目标来完成。在第一个目标中，该研究员将利用CRISPR在线粒体代谢基因中引入突变，以验证在热应激期间维持心肌细胞线粒体代谢的能力是决定热耐受的关键因素的假说。在目标二中，该研究员将整合一套来自温暖的南方地区和较凉爽的北部地区的鱼类的一套生理分析和转录组学，以确定遗传和表型对温暖溪流温度的适应，并评估这些种群的适应能力。该研究员将接受的培训计划包括方法学培训，包括CRISPR和高通量表现学，以及美国和加拿大的实验室管理和科学指导培训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 2021, 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. The fellow’s research will investigate the capacity of Chinook salmon to adapt to warming stream temperatures as a consequence of climate change. Like many aquatic organisms Chinook salmon are struggling to adapt as the climate warms, and populations have been steadily declining over the last several decades. Given the cultural and ecological significance of Chinook salmon there is significant interest in restoring this species to its once abundant levels, however the ability of these fish to cope with the consequences of climate change are not known. This research will investigate the physiological determinants of thermal tolerance in Chinook salmon and determine the capacity of existing populations along the west coast of North America to adapt to warming stream temperatures. This work has the potential to benefit society by improving our understanding of salmon thermal tolerance and adaptive capacity. Additionally, the fellow will also recruit and train junior scientists from minority-severing undergraduate programs with a specific emphasis on academic network building to improve the career trajectory of the trainees and broaden participation of underrepresented groups in science. This work will leverage naturally occurring variation across populations of Chinook salmon to understand how standing genetic and environmental variation interact to produce adaptive phenotypes. This work will be accomplished through two aims. In aim one, the fellow will utilize CRISPR to introduce mutations in mitochondrial metabolism genes to test the hypothesis that the ability to maintain mitochondrial metabolism in cardiac muscle cells during thermal stress is a key determent of thermal tolerance. In aim two, the fellow will integrate a suite of physiological assays with transcriptomics in both fish from warm southern locations and cooler northern locations to determine the genetic and phenotypic adaptations to warm stream temperatures and assess the adaptive capacity of these populations. The training program the fellow will receive includes both methodological training including CRISPR and high throughput phenomics in addition to lab management and scientific mentorship training both in the United States and Canada.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.