This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2020, 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. One major challenge in biology is to understand how variation in functionally-important traits?attributes of organisms that affect their survival and reproduction?evolves in nature. Interactions between plants and insects occur on every continent, and floral scent is a complex trait that shapes many of these interactions. This project investigates the evolutionary diversification of floral scent at the levels of genes and networks of genes, individuals, and populations. This project will study the links between these levels of biological organization in a widespread plant that emits relatively few scent compounds and interacts with different insects throughout Europe. Integrating across levels of biological organization in this project can provide insight into ?rules of life? regarding how and why variation in the environment generates and maintains variation in the genes and traits of organisms. This project provides valuable opportunities for international collaboration and diverse student engagement at the elementary and high school levels.
This project leverages and develops an emerging model system for plant evolution, the alpine rock cress (Arabis alpina), to address three main questions: (1) What is the genetic architecture of variation in floral scent? (2) What are the ecological agents of selection on floral scent? (3) What floral scent compounds are the targets of phenotypic selection? The Fellow will conduct greenhouse common garden studies of genomic and transcriptomic variation using F2 hybrids that exhibit the full range of natural floral scent variation. A Pan-European field experiment will evaluate if pollinators and herbivores generate phenotypic selection on floral scent, and lab-based assays of insect behavior will determine if insects respond to compounds under selection. This project will provide opportunities for the Fellow to gain new skills in genomics, transcriptomics, and insect behavioral assays. Broader impacts of this project include the development of online infrastructure to facilitate sharing data, protocols, and equipment. Additionally, the Fellow will conduct scientific outreach activities through three avenues. Interactive classroom learning activities for elementary and high school students, and opportunities for high school students to pursue independent research projects, will pique students? interest in science while helping them develop essential skills for careers in STEM fields.
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.
