Collaborative Research: Integrating Digitization, Exploration, Genomics, and Student Training to Illuminate Forces Shaping Appalachian Lichen Distributions

了解自然界中物种的分布是自然科学的一个驱动主题，几个世纪以来一直难以捉摸。多种力量塑造了物种分布，包括栖息地动态、物种移动能力和物种相互作用，但它们各自和共同贡献的方式仍然不完全清楚。我们对物种分布的了解主要是基于对大型动植物的研究，在这些群体中发现的过程可能与其他生物不同。这项研究旨在解决关于力量如何塑造构成地球上大多数生命的较小物种分布的知识的基本空白。为了实现这一目标，该项目将重点研究美国东部阿巴拉契亚山脉的地衣（对环境至关重要的真菌，必须与藻类形成稳定、永久的相互作用才能生存）。阿巴拉契亚山脉是全球独特的、受到威胁的生物多样性热点，包括地衣。该项目的目标是改变对美国受威胁地区地衣真菌的认识，同时为阿巴拉契亚生态系统的保护和管理提供重要信息。该项目的基石是在所有高等教育水平上进行广泛的科学培训，包括本科生、研究生和博士后研究员。真实的、以研究为基础的探究将被纳入本科课程，开发的课程将向公众开放。针对美国公众的宣传和教育工作将包括为专业人士和教师举办的多种课程和讲习班，以及大阿巴拉契亚地衣生物闪电战。为地衣基因组学、性状和阿巴拉契亚多样性创建新的大规模、完全集成、开放获取的资源，将改善包括科学家、教育工作者、土地管理者和社区科学家在内的不同受众获取信息的途径。作用力单独或通过相互作用对物种分布的影响程度尚未完全了解，特别是对较小的、无根的共生生物。本项目将利用广泛的地衣物种新数据资源和地衣的比较种群基因组学方法，对不同分布的地衣进行比较，以建立对外在机制和内在生物学属性如何影响阿巴拉契亚山脉生物多样性热点地区物种分布的综合理解。现有的大规模生物多样性数据集将与新的实地调查数据相结合，以填补阿巴拉契亚地衣采样的最后一个大空白。这将用于建立地衣分布、大小和繁殖特征的综合数据集。具有不同分布大小的物种的比较种群基因组学将产生关于共生体特异性、基因流动和适应的数据集。然后，这些数据将被共同用于测试假设，这些假设将提供一个新的视角，即在个体不活动的强制性共生生物中，力量如何塑造物种分布。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。

Understanding the distributions of species in nature is a driving theme in the natural sciences, one that has remained elusive for centuries. Multiple forces shape species distributions, including habitat dynamics, species’ ability to move, and species interactions, but the way they contribute on their own and together remains incompletely understood. What we do know about species distributions is based largely on studies of large plants and animals, and processes discovered in those groups may not be the same as for other organisms. This research aims to address fundamental gaps in knowledge of how forces shape distributions of the smaller species that make up the majority of life on Earth. To achieve this the project will focus on lichens (environmentally important fungi that must form stable, permanent interactions with algae to survive) in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. The Appalachian Mountains are a globally unique and threatened diversity hotspot for many lifeforms, including lichens. The goal of this project is to transform understanding of lichen fungi in a threatened American region while providing vital information for conservation and management of Appalachian ecosystems. A cornerstone of this project is extensive scientific training at all higher education levels, including undergraduate students, graduate students, and a post-doctoral researcher. Authentic, research-based inquiry will be integrated into undergraduate courses, and the developed curriculum will be made publicly available. Outreach and education efforts for the American public will include multiple courses and workshops for professionals and teachers and the Great Appalachian Lichen Bioblitz. Creation of new large-scale, fully integrated, open-access resources for lichen genomics, traits, and Appalachian diversity will improve access to information for diverse audiences including scientists, educators, land managers, and community scientists. The degree to which forces contribute individually, and through interactions, to mold species distributions is not fully understood, especially for smaller, sessile, symbiotic organisms. This project will use extensive new data resources for lichen species and a comparative population genomics approach for lichens with contrasting distributions to build an integrative understanding of how extrinsic mechanisms and intrinsic biological attributes shape species distributions in the Appalachian Mountain Biodiversity Hotspot. Existing large-scale biodiversity datasets will be integrated with data from a new field inventory to fill the last large Appalachian lichen sampling gap. This will then be used to build comprehensive datasets for lichen distribution size and reproductive traits. Comparative population genomics of species with contrasting distribution sizes will yield datasets for symbiont specificity, gene flow, and adaptation. These data will then collectively be used to test hypotheses that will provide a new perspective on how forces shape species distributions in obligate symbiotic organisms where individuals are non-motile.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.