NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Chironomid Bioturbation at Future High Temperature Scenarios and its Effect on Nutrient Fluxes and Bacterial Activity

该行动资助了美国国家科学基金会2023财年生物学博士后研究奖学金，扩大生物学中代表性不足群体的参与。该奖学金支持研究员的研究和培训计划，该计划将增加在生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。摇蚊幼虫是一种水生昆虫，在混合和干扰底栖沉积物的过程中起着重要作用，这种过程被称为生物扰动。旋摇鱼以其通气活动而闻名，通气活动促进沉积物中的氧合、营养流动和细菌活动。在气候变化情景下，拟手摇生物扰动介导的过程如何受到影响尚不清楚。应该解决这个问题，以预测生物扰动诱导的过程将如何影响较暖环境下淡水生态系统的平衡。本项目将使用城市水生环境作为气候变化替代情景，以确定高温对摇尾鱼生物扰动行为的影响及其对营养循环和细菌活性的影响。确定这一点将有助于提出未来淡水生态系统的缓解和管理活动，特别是热带生态系统，那里的过程可能对温度的微小变化更为敏感。这项研究还将为代表性不足的个人提供培训机会，鼓励他们从事水生生态学或任何其他相关领域的职业。该项目的目标将通过研究具有波多黎各高温波动记录的沉积物和城市河流的环境条件所维持的微观环境来实现。首先，研究员将整合流速微电极、电导率和颜色示踪技术，以确定手摇形通风是否受温度影响；然后，沉积物核心培养将用于确定生物扰动对氮、磷和碳通量的影响是否与温度无关；最后，分子技术将用于确定温暖温度如何影响生物扰动诱导的微生物活性和群落组成。通过完成这个项目，研究员将获得作为一名独立研究人员的经验，但也将通过向波多黎各的学生和教师提供讲座和指导机会，促进扩大对生物学的参与和包容。该研究员将重点培训有兴趣的个人在现场和实验室技术，批判性思维和沟通技巧，以便他们可以在未来冒险进入任何科学领域做好准备。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 2023, Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology. The Fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. Chironomid larvae are aquatic insects that play an important role in mixing and disturbing benthic sediments in a process called bioturbation. Chironomids are known for their ventilation activities, an action that promotes oxygenation, nutrient flux, and bacterial activity in sediments. There is a lack of understanding about how chironomid bioturbation mediated processes will be affected under climate change scenarios. This should be addressed to anticipate how bioturbation induced processes would affect the balance of freshwater ecosystems in a warmer environment. This project will use an urban aquatic environment as a climate change surrogate scenario to determine the effect of high temperatures on the bioturbation behavior of chironomids and their influence on nutrient cycling and bacterial activity. Determining this will help to propose mitigation and management activities for freshwater ecosystems in the future, especially for tropical ecosystems where processes might be more sensitive to small changes in temperature. This research will also provide training opportunities to underrepresented individuals to encourage them to pursue a career in aquatic ecology or any other related field.The objective of this project will be achieved by studying microcosms maintained with the sediments and the environmental conditions of an urban stream with records of high temperature fluctuations in Puerto Rico. First, the Fellow will integrate flow velocity microelectrodes, conductivity, and color tracer techniques to determine if chironomid ventilations are affected by temperature; then, sediment core incubations will be used to determine if the effects of bioturbation on nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon fluxes are temperature-independent; and last, molecular techniques will be used to determine how bioturbation-induced microbial activity and community composition are influenced by warm temperatures. Through the completion of this project, the Fellow will gain experience as an independent researcher, but will also promote broadening participation and inclusion in biology by providing lectures and mentoring opportunities to students and teachers in Puerto Rico. The Fellow will focus on training interested individuals in field and laboratory techniques, critical thinking, and communication skills so that they can be prepared when venturing into any scientific field in the future.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.