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

了解自然界物种的分布是自然科学中的一个重要主题，几个世纪以来，这个主题一直难以捉摸。多种力量影响着物种的分布，包括栖息地动态、物种的移动能力和物种之间的相互作用，但它们单独和共同作用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，在这些类群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作用力如何影响构成地球上大多数生命的较小物种的分布的基本知识空白。为了实现这一目标，该项目将把重点放在美国东部阿巴拉契亚山脉的地衣(环境重要的真菌，必须与藻类形成稳定、永久的相互作用才能生存)上。阿巴拉契亚山脉是全球独一无二的、受到威胁的多样性热点，有许多生命形式，包括地衣。该项目的目标是改变人们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。该项目的一个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、基于研究的探究将被整合到本科课程中，开发的课程将公开可用。面向美国公众的外展和教育努力将包括为专业人士和教师以及伟大的阿巴拉契亚Lichen Bioblitz开设多个课程和研讨会。创建新的大规模、完全整合、开放获取的地衣基因组学、特征和阿巴拉契亚多样性资源，将改善包括科学家、教育工作者、土地管理人员和社区科学家在内的不同受众获取信息的机会。力单独并通过相互作用对霉菌物种分布的影响程度尚不完全清楚，特别是对于较小的、固着的、共生的生物体。该项目将使用大量关于地衣物种的新数据资源和具有对比分布的地衣的比较种群基因组学方法，以建立对外部机制和内在生物属性如何塑造阿巴拉契亚山脉生物多样性热点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区地衣采样的最后空白。然后，这将被用来建立地衣分布、大小和生殖特征的综合数据集。分布大小不同的物种的比较种群基因组学将产生共生体专一性、基因流动和适应的数据集。然后，这些数据将被集体用于测试假说，这些假说将提供一个新的视角，说明力量如何塑造个体非动机的专职共生生物体中的物种分布。这一奖项反映了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。

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.