NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Deciphering the epigenetic signatures associated with invasive capacity in mixed seagrass communities

2021 财年 NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：破译与混合海草群落入侵能力相关的表观遗传特征

• 批准号: 2109466
• 负责人: Kelcie Chiquillo
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Chiquillo, Kelcie Lorena
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2109466&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; FY

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2021, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. The proposed research addresses the great debate of whether nature (genetics) or nurture (environment) drive biological invasions, i.e., the process where introduced species become harmful, threatening biodiversity and natural ecosystems outside their normal range. It is known that nature and nurture work in conjunction to produce biological traits. Traits are controlled by genes, and the expression of these genes (or how much these genes are turned on) will change depending on the environment that they are in. Not all introduced species become invasive, and this research will help understand how environmental changes are linked to invasions for conservation biology. The outcomes of this research will be to determine which factors and habitat characteristics modify gene expression and promote invasion success. This is particularly important as invasive species can be global threats to local ecosystems, like seagrass meadows, which support a wide variety of life (e.g. fish, sea turtles, manatees and birds); thus, it can have implications on society by altering ecosystem services that people depend on. This project will provide high quality research opportunities to traditionally excluded groups, and indirectly help management in recovery of seagrass communities. The fellow will use both field work and epigenetic technologies to understand the function and modifications of anthropogenic stressors in seagrass meadows and determine what role epigenetic mechanisms play in biological invasions. The fellow will test the hypotheses of whether species interactions, epigenetics, and microbial communities induce the epigenetic signatures of the seagrass invasion and determine the physiological mechanisms that promote an invasive phenotype. For that purpose, this work will characterize epigenetic modifications, microbial populations, and their interaction with energetic networks (e.g. nutrient acquisition) to promote induced competitive phenotypes linked to acclimatization. In doing so, the fellow will broaden participation by developing a culture-based support program called ‘SALTI: Science Acceleration and Learning Techniques Inclusivity’ week, where NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates students and their families learn hands-on approaches to conducting marine science in South Florida. The proposed program will produce engaging science-communication films. By facilitating family support, the diversity of people who are engaged in science will strengthen, and they and others can gain a deeper understanding of its ecological importance and feel empowered to protect the marine environment.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.

该行动为2021财年的生物学生物学研究金提供了一项NSF博士后研究奖学金，扩大了人数不足的生物学的参与。奖学金支持该研究员的研究和培训计划，这将增加生物学中代表性不足的群体的参与。拟议的研究探讨了自然（遗传学）还是护士（环境）驱动生物学入侵，即引入物种变得有害，威胁生物多样性和自然生态系统的过程。众所周知，大自然和护士共同工作以产生生物学特征。特征是由基因控制的，这些基因的表达（或这些基因被打开的程度）会根据其所处的环境而变化。并非所有引入的物种都变得侵入性，这项研究将有助于了解环境变化如何与保护生物学的入侵有关。这项研究的结果将是确定哪些因素和栖息地特征改变了基因表达并促进入侵成功。这一点尤其重要，因为入侵物种可能是对当地生态系统的全球威胁，例如海草草地，它可以支持各种各样的生命（例如鱼，海龟，海牛和鸟类）；因此，它可以通过改变人们依赖的生态系统服务来对社会产生影响。该项目将为传统排除的群体提供高质量的研究机会，并间接帮助管理海草社区的恢复。该研究员将同时使用现场工作和表观遗传技术来了解海草草地中人为应激源的功能和修饰，并确定表观遗传机制在生物学入侵中起什么作用。该研究员将检验物种相互作用，表观遗传学和微生物群落是否诱导海草入侵的表观遗传学特征并确定促进侵入性表型的物理机制。为此，这项工作将表征表观遗传修饰，微生物种群及其与能量网络的相互作用（例如，营养获取），以促进与适应性相关的诱导竞争表型。在此过程中，研究员将通过制定一个名为“ Salti：科学加速和学习技巧包容性”的基于文化的支持计划，在这里，NSF的研究经验在这里为大学生及其家人学习动手的方法来在南佛罗里达州进行海洋科学。拟议的计划将制作引人入胜的科学通讯电影。通过支持家庭的支持，从事科学的人的多样性将增强，他们和其他人可以更深入地了解其生态重要性，并感到有能力保护海洋环境。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用基金会的知识分子和更广泛的影响审查审查标准来通过评估来诚实地通过评估来诚实。

项目成果

An invasive seagrass drives its own success in two invaded seas by both negatively affecting native seagrasses and benefiting from those costs

• DOI: 10.1111/oik.09403
• 发表时间: 2022-11
• 期刊: Oikos
• 影响因子: 3.4
• 作者: Kelcie L. Chiquillo;P. Barber;M. Vasquez;E. Cruz‐Rivera;D. Willette;G. Winters;P. Fong

Attack of the clones: Understanding the invasion potential of the seagrass (Halophila stipulacea) in Culebra, Puerto Rico

克隆的攻击：了解波多黎各库莱布拉海草（Halophila stipulacea）的入侵潜力

• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: EpiMar
• 作者: Chiquillo, Kelcie L.;Wong, Juliet M;Sabat, Alberto;Sanchez, Juan;Rodriguez-Casariego, Javier A.;Mercado-Molina, Alex E.;Eirin-Lopez, J.M.
• 通讯作者: Eirin-Lopez, J.M.