RII Track-4: Enhancing Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies and Research Funding Opportunities in Sensory Neurobiology through Studies of Crustacean Vision

RII Track-4：通过甲壳动物视觉研究增强感觉神经生物学的跨学科研究生学习和研究资助机会

基本信息

批准号：
1738567
负责人：
Megan Porter
金额：
$ 13.75万
依托单位：
University of Hawaii
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2017
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2017-09-01 至 2022-10-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1738567&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
RII Track Enhancing Interdisciplinary Graduate

项目摘要

Non-Technical Description Comparing the development of distinct types of animal eyes provides a remarkable 'natural laboratory' for understanding how visual systems work, and how animals use visual information to interact with each other and with their environment. This research will study the function of two crustacean species, the mantis shrimp and a copepod, which have vastly different eyes than most other animals. This fellowship will take place in the School of Marine Science and Policy at the University of Delaware, working with an internationally recognized researcher in crustacean visual physiology and behavior. The fellowship will provide training to the PI and a graduate student in techniques that measure changes in electrical output of cells to characterize changes in eye function over the course of development. By studying these two species in particular, and coupling newly learned techniques with the PI's expertise in evolutionary studies through DNA analysis, the proposed research will reveal how developmental changes in visual systems affect the behavior of an animal. The knowledge gained in the project will be integrated into a newly developed course in Sensory Biology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM). In addition, the work will be used to provide summer research experience to undergraduates through two funded UHM NSF funded REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) summer programs, one of which specifically targets the involvement of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students. Technical DescriptionThis fellowship will provide training for the PI and a graduate student in crustacean-specific electrophysiology and behavioral techniques, providing them with the interdisciplinary tools to link molecular evolution with physiological function and behavioral output for a truly integrated research program in visual system evolution. The work will focus on generating novel ontogenetic datasets for two crustaceans with unique eyes, the stomatopod Squilla empusa and the copepod Labidocera aestiva, to investigate the development and evolution of sensory system diversification. Specific project goals are to characterize complex stomatopod and simple copepod eyes using electrophysiology to describe underlying photoreceptor diversity and function, and behavioral assays to establish when particular visual capabilities become functional during development. The addition of two new methodologies for studies of visual system form and function will be transformative for the PI's research program, generating broad, integrative training for both undergraduate and graduate students and making future proposals more competitive through more integrated experimental designs. Conversely, time spent at the University of Delaware will allow for reciprocal training in molecular techniques for members of the host laboratory, thus providing the same integrative training across two institutions. The proposed project will establish a collaboration between leaders in the fields of crustacean molecular evolution and visual physiology, as well as strengthen newly-initiated collaborations with other research units at the PI's home institution.

非技术描述比较不同类型动物眼睛的发育，为了解视觉系统如何工作以及动物如何利用视觉信息与彼此以及与环境互动提供了一个非凡的“自然实验室”。螳螂虾和桡足类这两种甲壳类动物的眼睛与大多数其他动物有很大不同。这项研究将在特拉华大学海洋科学与政策学院与一位国际公认的甲壳类视觉生理学研究员合作进行。和行为。该奖学金将为 PI 和一名研究生提供测量细胞电输出变化的技术培训，以表征发育过程中眼睛功能的变化。通过特别研究这两个物种，并将新学到的技术与 PI 结合起来。通过DNA分析进行进化研究的专业知识，拟议的研究将揭示视觉系统的发育变化如何影响动物的行为，该项目中获得的知识将被整合到夏威夷大学马诺阿分校新开发的感觉生物学课程中。（嗯）此外，工作。将用于通过 UHM NSF 资助的 REU（本科生研究经验）暑期项目为本科生提供暑期研究经验，其中一项专门针对夏威夷原住民和太平洋岛民学生的参与。 PI 和甲壳类特定电生理学和行为技术的研究生，为他们提供跨学科工具，将分子进化与生理功能和行为输出联系起来，以实现视觉系统进化中真正的综合研究计划。两种具有独特眼睛的甲壳类动物（口足类虾蛄和桡足类 Labidocera aestiva）的新颖个体发育数据集，用于感觉系统多样化的发展和进化。具体项目目标是使用电生理学来描述复杂的口足类和简单的桡足类眼睛的特征，以描述潜在的光感受器多样性和功能和行为测定，以确定特定的视觉能力在发育过程中何时发挥作用，增加了两种用于研究视觉系统形式和功能的新方法。为 PI 的研究计划带来变革，为本科生和研究生提供广泛的综合培训，并通过更综合的实验设计使未来的提案更具竞争力，在特拉华大学度过的时间将允许在分子技术方面进行相互培训。拟议的项目将在甲壳类分子进化和视觉生理学领域的领导者之间建立合作，并加强与其他研究单位新发起的合作。 PI 所在机构。