NSF Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biology combine research and training components to prepare young scientists for careers in biology and require a plan to broaden participation of groups under-represented in science and engineering. The fellowships advance NSF efforts to diversify the STEM workforce now and in the future. This fellowship to M. Joey Pakes supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow and a plan to broaden participation of groups under-represented in science. The title of the research plan is "Extreme Cave Systems: Ciphers into the Evolution of Chemosynthetic Symbiosis." The host institution is Harvard University, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Colleen Cavanaugh. Training objectives include transcriptomics, genomics, and microscopy. The knowledge gained about fragile cave ecosystems that are highly sensitive to pollution and other human impacts may inform conservation management decisions. Educational outreach includes involving undergraduates in laboratory and computational techniques and developing inquiry based lessons focused on cave and field biology in primary schools.
Underwater caves provide unique locations to study how animals and microbes in extreme environments evolved, thus providing insight into life's origins. A diversity of mutualisms between microbes and invertebrates form the basis of foodwebs in lightless habitats, for example, hydrothermal vents. Recently discovered intracellular symbioses with chemosynthetic microbes in the shrimp Typhlatya pearsei and similar extracellular symbioses of other cave crustaceans provide an opportunity to study crustacean symbioses and their evolution in extreme underwater ecosystems. The research uses field collected specimens and environmental data, as well as metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to investigate symbiont identity and host-symbiont function.
