Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology: The Coevolution of Climate Change Responses in Grasses

生物学博士后研究金：草类气候变化响应的共同进化

• 批准号: 2209408
• 负责人: William Brightly
• 金额: $ 20.7万
• 依托单位: Brightly, William H
• 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 2026-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2209408&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Postdoctoral; Research; Fellowship; Biology; Coevolution

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. Climate change poses substantial problems for many organisms, particularly those which are stationary and cannot easily move if their current habitat become unsuitable (e.g., plants). To survive, these organisms must be able to withstand new conditions (e.g., by evolving new traits) or colonize new areas where conditions are suitable (e.g., via seed dispersal). Unfortunately, very little is known about how these two potential survival strategies interact. In particular, it is unclear whether historical investment in one strategy limits capacity for the other (e.g., plants with wide environmental tolerances but poor seed dispersal capacity). Plants occupy a critical position at the base of all terrestrial food webs and are by far societies' most important agricultural products. Nevertheless, they often receive less conservation attention than animals. A better understanding of how plants respond to climate change is necessary to accurately predict its potential consequences, and how to direct resources to mitigate them.To develop a better understanding of these two responses, the project uses the melicgrass tribe (7 genera, 158 species), which occupies diverse habitats and possesses a wide range of seed dispersal strategies. The fellow will first produce a comprehensive phylogenetic reconstruction for the tribe, and then evaluate the dispersal capability and environmental niche of its constituent taxa. Dispersal capability will be evaluated on the basis of several quantitative seed and plant traits known to influence dispersal outcomes. A combined approach synthesizing published literature, geospatial data, and growth experiments will be used to classify both fundamental and realized environmental niche. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, the project will then test whether dispersal ability correlates with the rate of environmental niche evolution, realized niche breadth, or ability to acclimate to new conditions (fundamental niche breadth). During the course of this research the fellow will broaden his technical expertise through training in advanced phylogenetic and ecophysiological methods. The fellow will also recruit and mentor a diverse group of students to participate in the project, learn research skills, and eventually pursue semi-independent projects, with potential for first-author publications.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 2022 财年 NSF 生物学博士后研究奖学金，旨在调查基因组、环境和表型之间相互作用的生命规则的综合研究。该奖学金支持研究员的研究和培训，以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。气候变化给许多生物体带来了重大问题，特别是那些静止的生物体，如果它们当前的栖息地变得不合适，就无法轻易移动（例如植物）。为了生存，这些生物体必须能够承受新的条件（例如，通过进化新的性状）或在条件合适的新地区定居（例如，通过种子传播）。不幸的是，人们对这两种潜在的生存策略如何相互作用知之甚少。特别是，目前尚不清楚一种策略的历史投资是否限制了另一种策略的能力（例如，具有广泛环境耐受性但种子传播能力较差的植物）。植物在所有陆地食物网的基础上占据着关键地位，并且是迄今为止社会最重要的农产品。然而，与动物相比，它们受到的保护关注往往较少。更好地了解植物如何应对气候变化对于准确预测其潜在后果以及如何引导资源来缓解这些后果至关重要。为了更好地了解这两种反应，该项目使用了 melicgrass 部落（7 属，158 种） ），占据不同的栖息地并拥有广泛的种子传播策略。该研究员将首先对该部落进行全面的系统发育重建，然后评估其组成类群的分散能力和环境生态位。将根据已知影响传播结果的几种种子和植物的定量性状来评估传播能力。将使用综合已发表文献、地理空间数据和生长实验的组合方法对基本和已实现的环境利基进行分类。然后，该项目将使用系统发育比较方法来测试分散能力是否与环境生态位进化速率、实现的生态位宽度或适应新条件的能力（基本生态位宽度）相关。在这项研究过程中，该研究员将通过先进的系统发育和生态生理学方法的培训来扩大他的技术专业知识。该研究员还将招募和指导不同的学生群体参与该项目，学习研究技能，并最终开展半独立项目，并有可能发表第一作者论文。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来提供支持。