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

美国国家科学基金会生物学博士后奖学金：鸟类调色板的演变：基因、环境和生活史在织布鸟鸡蛋和羽毛颜色中的作用

• 批准号: 2209232
• 负责人: Jackie Childers
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Childers, Jackie Lynn
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-04-01 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2209232&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; Evolution

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.

同伴的姓名：杰基·育儿港口编号：2209232研究标题：鸟类调色板的演变：了解基因，环境和生活历史的作用，卵子和羽毛色的卵子和羽毛色在Weaver Birds（Ploceidae）赞助的科学家（S） （NHMLAC）共同赞助科学家：林尼亚·霍尔博士，执行董事/禽类保护生物学家，西方脊椎动物动物学基金会（WFVZ）该行动为2022财政年度的NSF博士后研究奖学金提供了一项NSF博士后研究奖学金，该研究综合研究研究了生命研究规则，研究了生命的互动规则。奖学金支持对研究员的研究和培训，这些研究和培训将以创新的方式为生活规则做出贡献。鸟羽毛和鸡蛋的鲜艳色彩长期以来着迷的生物学家，他们主要关注它们在社会信号中的重要性。然而，鸟类物种之间羽毛和卵色的变化通常与栖息地和生态差异有关，这表明环境在推动鸟类颜色特征的演变中起着重要作用。该项目的重点是织布机（Ploceidae），其中包括在撒哈拉以南非洲和东南亚的各种栖息地中发现的100多种，单个物种表现出独特的羽毛和鸡蛋颜色组合。该研究员将整合颜色，环境和遗传数据，并使用一种新颖的方法来研究鸡蛋和羽毛色的进化模式。在这样做的过程中，这项研究将通过考虑颜色在允许物种适应其环境并确定卵和羽毛是否共同进化的作用来扩大生态和进化领域。奖学金将促进大洛杉矶地区大学和大学的学生的研究和专业发展机会，其中许多是小学少数派服务。在生物学背景下，着色是生物体及其环境之间的中介体，可以在社会信号，温度调节和抗逆客防御等因素中起重要作用。鸟类颜色的比较研究表明，它受到自然（例如伪装）和性选择的约束（例如，杂志屏障）。但是，各种选择性压力如何与基因相互作用和产生色彩多样性的环境仍然知之甚少。该项目将结合在一起：1）来自织布物物种博物馆物种的鸡蛋和羽毛的表型数据； 2）将从中提取环境变量的织布物物种的地理价值数据； 3）在该研究员博士学位期间产生的整个基因组。它将用于进行鸡蛋和羽毛颜色特征的比较系统生理学分析。使用数字成像技术，该项目还将是首次比较物种之间羽毛微观结构的家庭水平研究，这可能导致在颜料以外的羽毛中发现新的颜色生成机制。为了扩大研究的影响，研究员将：1）为与该项目相关的大学生提供研究机会； 2）参加博物馆外展活动； 3）在STEM夏季研讨会系列中运行领导力，针对早期职业科学家。这些合并的活动旨在增加潜水员背景中的STEM领域的学生的公众参与和保留，并强调博物馆在科学家与当地社区之间的界面中起着至关重要的作用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的知识分子和更广泛影响的评估审查审查标准来通过评估来诚实的支持。