This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2015, Research Using Biological Collections. The fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow to take transformative approaches to grand challenges in biology that employ biological collections in highly innovative ways. The title of the research plan for this fellowship to Kristin E. Brzeski is "How range expansion influences genetic change and disease susceptibility in coyotes." The host institution is Princeton University, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Bridgett vonHoldt.
Understanding how animals adapt during range expansion is critical to predict how they may respond to a changing environment and how to assess and manage their interactions with native species. Assessing how animals, i.e., hosts, and pathogens interact during range expansion is especially important because an animal's basic biology can be shaped by efforts to detect and defeat disease. Coyotes (Canis latrans) are an ideal species to evaluate issues of range expansion because they recently expanded their range eastward in the U.S. and are interacting with native species, such as endangered red wolves, and information is needed on coyote pathogens, which may affect other species. The fellowship research evaluates the genetic and immunological consequences of range expansion. Few studies have evaluated adaptive evolution or host-pathogen dynamics in expanding populations, thus the research promises to provide novel insights into important evolutionary and ecological processes. Specifically, the effects of range expansion are being studied by evaluating 1) coyote genetic variation in their historic and expanded range and 2) host-pathogen dynamics at the coyote expansion front. Genetic and serum samples are provided by the following museums and collections: Denver Museum of Natural Science; Oklahoma Museum of Natural History; Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science; New York State Museum; and the Red Wolf Recovery Programs Archival Data.
Training goals include gaining expertise in genomic and bioinformatics techniques. The fellowship research has value for conservation efforts and wildlife management as coyotes have become highly visible animals and are often considered pests. Thus factors influencing their biology, such as population structure and adaption, are of general interest and can be used to educate the public and inform management actions. This is especially true regarding pathogen data because coyotes and domestic dogs can interact and share diseases, putting pets at risk. Public outreach includes partnerships with conservation organizations and publishing in nontechnical magazines to enhance the public's knowledge of current science discoveries. Educational outreach involves mentoring undergraduate students.
