NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Using eDNA metabarcoding to measure the impact of anthropogenic activities and predator reintroduction on parasite-based ecological networks

NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：使用 eDNA 元条形码来测量人类活动和捕食者重新引入对基于寄生虫的生态网络的影响

• 批准号: 2208800
• 负责人: Jasmine Childress
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Childress, Jasmine N
• 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: 2023-02-01 至 2025-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2208800&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; Using

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, 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. Ecological networks are used to describe biodiversity and the ways in which plants and animals interact with one another. While parasites comprise nearly half of all described animal life, they are routinely left out of these networks. Thus, essential features of ecosystems are overlooked because parasites are excluded from ecological networks. One of the main challenges to integrating parasites into these networks is the difficulty of surveying for parasites using conventional methods that rely on complex techniques, which are invasive or lethal to host organisms. This problem will be resolved by using new DNA methods to detect the DNA fragments that all species shed into the environment (for example in feces, mucus, and skin). This environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used to identify parasites without capture and harm to their hosts. Using this non-destructive method, the distribution of parasites will be added to ecological networks, including those in which human activity has had an impact and ones in which top predators have been reintroduced. This will help lay the foundation for enhancing future disease, community, and ecosystem studies. To broaden the impact of the project, the Fellow will present workshops to students to help them learn skills important for STEM training and careers. The Fellow will use eDNA metabarcoding to detect host–parasite community biodiversity of the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve and incorporate those data into a molecular ecological network analysis to inform two guiding questions: (1) how does incorporating parasites into ecological networks alter our understanding of ecosystems, and (2) how do anthropogenic impacts and predator reintroduction reshape parasite-based ecological networks? To broaden participation of underrepresented groups, the Fellow will lead “Flash Skills,” which is a series of small workshops aimed at teaching and refining skills that may be left out of the classroom, such as grant writing, data and time management, and coding. These competencies will help prepare undergraduate and graduate students for postdoctoral opportunities and careers in academia.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.

该行动资助了 2022 财年 NSF 生物学博士后研究奖学金，扩大生物学领域代表性不足的群体的参与。该奖学金支持研究员的研究和培训计划，该计划将增加生物学领域代表性不足的群体的参与。虽然寄生虫占所有所描述的动物生命的近一半，但它们通常被排除在这些网络之外，因为生态系统的基本特征被忽视了。将寄生虫纳入这些网络的主要挑战之一是使用依赖于复杂技术的传统方法来调查寄生虫是困难的，这些方法对宿主生物体具有侵入性或致命性。新的 DNA 方法可检测所有物种排放到环境中（例如粪便、粘液和皮肤中）的 DNA 片段，这种环境 DNA (eDNA) 可用于识别寄生虫，而不会捕获和伤害其宿主。 -破坏性方法，寄生虫的分布将被添加到生态网络中，包括人类活动产生影响的网络和顶级捕食者被重新引入的网络，这将有助于为加强未来的疾病、群落和生态系统研究奠定基础。为了了解该项目的影响，该研究员将向学生举办研讨会，帮助他们学习对 STEM 培训和职业至关重要的技能。该研究员将使用 eDNA 元条形码来检测贾斯珀岭生物保护区的宿主-寄生虫群落生物多样性，并将这些数据纳入分子模型中。生态网络分析提出两个指导性问题：（1）将寄生虫纳入生态网络如何改变我们对生态系统的理解，以及（2）人为影响和捕食者重新引入如何重塑基于寄生虫的生态网络？领导“Flash技能”，这是一系列小型研讨会，旨在教授和完善课堂上可能遗漏的技能，例如写作资助、数据和时间管理以及编码，这些能力将帮助本科生和研究生做好准备。为了学术界的博士后机会和职业。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。