NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: Evolution of Masting as a Mechanism for Forest Resilience under Climate Change

NSF 生物学博士后奖学金：气候变化下森林恢复力机制的演化

• 批准号: 2305968
• 负责人: Diana Macias
• 金额: $ 24万
• 依托单位: Macias, Diana Stephanie
• 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: 2023-08-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2305968&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; Evolution

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2023, 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. Forests cover nearly a third of all land on Earth, represent the most fundamental and widespread components of living systems, and are experiencing irreversible transformations. Long-term changes in temperatures have induced massive tree die-offs and have limited the potential for recruitment. Nonetheless, surprisingly little is known about the genetic mechanisms that underlie long-term reproductive patterns in forest systems. This study explores the reproductive phenomenon known as masting which involves sudden spikes in reproductive output among trees over time. The study aims to use genetic material obtained from two masting piñon pine species to test predictions about how genetic mechanisms underlying this reproductive strategy relate to warming trends. The findings will produce a forecasting methodology to predict long-term resilience of forest systems to temperature change. The project will also proactively recruit students from groups underrepresented in forestry disciplines and immerse them in activities that build on students’ real-life experiences to create meaningful field-based research experiences. Integrating a youth-centered perspective into the research project will encourage students to understand themselves as both practitioners of science and as members of the scientific community.The study compares the piñon pine (Pinus edulis) and the single-leaf piñon pine (Pinus monophylla) species that reside in differing geographic regions to understand the respective adaptations of these species to environmental gradients associated with temperature. This goal will be accomplished through three objectives that include (1) identifying gene variants (alleles) associated with reproductive traits (e.g., seed size), (2) examining how these variants change over time and terrain (in association with temperature gradients), and (3) determining if the same genetic loci (where alleles associated with masting occur) impact reproductive traits in both species; this last objective will determine how warm-tolerant populations of the respective species have evolved in response to higher temperature regimes. The Fellow will benefit from training to create and analyze functional genomic data sets, establishing collaborative networks related to forest resilience, and strengthening mentorship and teaching skills. This includes a multi-level, near-peer research immersion experience that integrates Indigenous knowledge with management skills; Broadening Participation will include high school and undergraduate students as well as a summit to elevate these goals across multiple groups of stakeholders.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2023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，扩大了在生物学中代表不足的群体的参与。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。森林几乎覆盖了地球上所有土地的三分之一，代表了生命系统中最基本和宽度的组成部分，并且正在经历不可逆转的转变。温度的长期变化导致大量树木死亡，并限制了招募的潜力。但是，对于森林系统中长期生殖模式的基础的遗传机制知之甚少。这项研究探讨了被称为桅杆的生殖现象，涉及树木随时间的生殖产量突然峰值。该研究的目的是使用从两种桅杆piñon松树物种获得的遗传物质来测试有关这种生殖策略潜在的遗传机制与变暖趋势相关的预测。这些发现将产生一种预测方法，以预测森林系统对温度变化的长期韧性。该项目还将积极地从林业学科的人数不足的团体中招募学生，并将其沉浸在基于学生现实生活经验以创造有意义的基于现场的研究经验的活动中。将以青年为中心的观点整合到研究项目中，将鼓励学生将自己理解为科学的实践者和科学界的成员。该研究比较了PiñonPine（Pinus Edulis）和单叶PiñonPine（Pinus Monophylla），这些Pineon Pine（Pinus Monophylla）居住在区别的地理区域中，以了解这些物种的相对于环境逐渐适应环境渐变，以了解环境渐变。该目标将通过三个目标来实现，包括（1）识别与生殖特征相关的基因变异（等位基因）（例如种子大小），（2）检查这些变体如何随时间和地形（与温度梯度相关）以及（3）确定相同的遗传（是否与植物相关）（同样的遗传效果）效果的物种;最后一个目标将决定相对物种的温暖耐受性，以响应更高的温度状态而发展。该研究员将受益于培训，以创建和分析功能性基因组数据集，建立与森林韧性相关的协作网络，并增强心态和教学能力。这包括多层次的，近距离研究的沉浸式经验，将土著知识与管理技能融为一体；扩大参与将包括高中和本科生，以及峰会，以提高多个利益相关者的这些目标。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标准，通过评估来诚实地获得支持。