Proposal Number: 1611997
This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2016, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The fellowship supports a research and training plan that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. The title of the research plan for this fellowship to Maria Rosa is 'Flexibility in modes of gaining nutrition in early life stages of suspension-feeding molluscs.' The host institution for this fellowship is Stony Brook University, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Dianna K. Padilla.
The goal of this study is to determine the flexibility and relative importance of different feeding modes used by early life stages of suspension-feeding molluscs. Suspension-feeding molluscs collect particles from the water column, and include bivalves such as mussels, clams and oysters. Many species are economically important as food sources for humans, and play important roles in ecosystems by stabilizing shorelines and clearing particles from water columns. Although we know a great deal about suspension feeding in adult bivalves, we know very little about young life stages. Most bivalves have a microscopic larval stage that swims in the water column and has specialized structures for capturing algal food. These structures are shed once the larvae transition to juvenile stages and live on the bottom. Juveniles can take up to a year to develop adult structures for feeding. The Fellow's research focuses on early life stages, and life stage transitions, and examines links between juvenile performance and adult morphology. Understanding the feeding mechanisms of young suspension-feeders is critical, because for most species, survival of these early life stages is the greatest bottleneck determining survival to the adult stage.
This project provides a rich training opportunity to a Hispanic female, including expanded training in functional morphology, advanced statistical methodology, and microscopy. It is also allowing the Fellow to expand her knowledge and research capabilities in evolutionary biology, functional morphology, and the ecology of early life stages. The Fellow is also developing skills in formal and informal education, assisting with classes for both graduate and undergraduate students, and receiving mentoring by a specialist in education research. To broaden participation of underrepresented groups, the Fellow is mentoring and serving as a role model for undergraduate and high school students in research, particularly those from groups underrepresented in STEM fields. The Fellow is implementing a range of outreach opportunities, including presentations to local groups interested in marine conservation and protection, and to managers and legislators. This links the outreach to the research because many of the species included in this research are commercially and/or ecologically important.
