NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: The Evolution of an Avian Color Palette: The Roles of Genes, Environment, and Life History Underlying Egg and Feather Color in Weaver Birds

研究员姓名：Jackie Childers建议编号：2209232研究标题：鸟类调色板的演变：了解基因、环境和生活史在织织鸟(Ploceidae)卵和羽毛颜色中的作用赞助科学家(S)和主办机构(S)：Allison J.Shultz博士，鸟类部助理馆长，洛杉矶县自然历史博物馆(NHMLAC)共同赞助科学家：Linnea Hall博士，西部脊椎动物基金会执行董事/鸟类保护生物学家这一行动为NSF 2022财年生物学博士后研究员提供资金，综合研究奖学金，调查基因组、环境和物型之间的生命相互作用规则。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。长期以来，鸟类羽毛和蛋的鲜艳颜色一直令生物学家着迷，他们主要关注它们在社会信号中的重要性。然而，不同鸟类之间羽毛和蛋色的差异往往与栖息地和生态差异有关，这表明环境对鸟类颜色特征的进化起着很大的推动作用。该项目的重点是织蜂科(PLoceidae)，该科包括100多个物种，分布在撒哈拉以南非洲和东南亚的各种栖息地，个别物种表现出独特的羽毛和鸡蛋颜色组合。这位研究员将整合颜色、环境和遗传数据，并使用一种新的方法来研究鸡蛋和羽毛颜色的进化模式。在这样做的过程中，这项研究将通过考虑颜色在使物种适应环境和确定蛋和羽毛是否一起进化方面所起的作用来扩大生态学和进化论的领域。该奖学金将为来自大洛杉矶地区大学和学院的学生提供研究和职业发展机会，这些大学和学院中的许多人主要是少数族裔服务。在生物学背景下，颜色是生物体和环境之间的中介，在社会信号、体温调节和抗捕食者防御等因素中发挥重要作用。对鸟类着色的比较研究表明，它受到自然(如伪装)和性选择(如前合子障碍)的影响。然而，各种选择压力如何与基因和环境相互作用以产生颜色多样性仍然知之甚少。该项目将结合：1)从博物馆标本中收集的羽卵和羽毛的表型数据；2)将从环境变量中提取的编织物种的地理参考出现数据；以及3)在研究员博士期间产生的完整基因组，将用于对鸡蛋和羽毛颜色特征进行比较系统学分析。利用数字成像技术，该项目也将是第一个在家族层面上比较不同物种之间羽毛微结构的研究，可能会导致发现除色素以外的羽毛的新的颜色生成机制。为了扩大研究的影响，研究员将：1)为与该项目相关的本科生提供研究机会；2)参加博物馆外展活动；3)领导STEM面向职业生涯早期科学家的夏季研讨会系列。这些联合活动旨在增加公众参与和留住来自不同背景的STEM领域的学生，并突出博物馆在充当科学家和当地社区之间的接口方面所发挥的关键作用。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。

Fellow's name: Jackie ChildersProposal number: 2209232Research title: The evolution of an avian color palette: understanding the roles of genes, environment, and life history underlying egg and feather color in weaver birds (Ploceidae)Sponsoring scientist(s) and host institution(s): Dr. Allison J. Shultz, Assistant Curator, Ornithology Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC)Co-Sponsoring scientist: Dr. Linnea Hall, Executive Director/Avian Conservation Biologist, Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (WFVZ)This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, 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 vibrant colors of bird feathers and eggs have long fascinated biologists who have largely focused on their importance in social signals. However, variation in plumage and egg color among bird species is often associated with habitat and ecological differences, suggesting that the environment plays a strong role in driving the evolution of avian color traits. The project focuses on the weaver family (Ploceidae), which includes more than 100 species found in a wide variety of habitats throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, with individual species exhibiting unique combinations of feather and egg colors. The fellow will integrate color, environmental, and genetic data and use a novel approach to study evolutionary patterns of egg and plumage color in tandem. In doing so, the research will expand the fields of ecology and evolution by considering the role that coloration plays in allowing species to adapt to their environments and determine whether eggs and feathers evolve together. The fellowship will facilitate research and professional development opportunities for students from universities and colleges in the greater Los Angeles area, many of which are primarily minority serving. Within a biological context, coloration is a mediator between an organism and its environment and can play important roles in factors such as social signaling, thermoregulation, and antipredator defense. Comparative studies of avian coloration have demonstrated that it is subject to natural (e.g., camouflage) and sexual selection (e.g., prezygotic barrier). However, how various selective pressures interact with genes and the environment to produce color diversity remains poorly understood. The project will combine: 1) phenotypic data from eggs and plumage collected from museum specimens of weaver species; 2) georeferenced occurrence data of weaver species from which environmental variables will be extracted; and 3) whole genomes generated during the fellow’s Ph.D. which will be used to conduct comparative phylogenomic analyses of egg and feather color traits. Using digital imaging techniques, the project will also be the first family-level study to compare feather microstructures among species, potentially leading to the discovery of new color-generating mechanisms in feathers beyond pigments. To broaden the impact of the research the fellow will: 1) provide research opportunities for undergraduates related to the project; 2) participate in museum outreach events; 3) run Leadership in STEM summer workshop series geared towards early-career scientists. These combined activities seek to increase public engagement and retention of students in STEM fields from diverse backgrounds and highlight the critical role that museums play in acting as an interface between scientists and the local community.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.