NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology

Docherty Kathryn M, Eugene OR

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology for FY 2008. The fellowship supports a research and training plan entitled "Examining microbial biodiversity and spatial-temporal distribution using phylogenetic clustering and overdispersion analyses." The Fellow is Kathryn M. Docherty and the sponsoring scientist is Professor Jessica L. Green at the University of Oregon Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. A very diverse community of microorganisms plays critical roles in biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem function yet we do not have an in-depth knowledge of these roles in linking spatial, temporal and environmental variation. This project examines nitrogen-cycle related microbial biodiversity using two powerful and cutting-edge informatics tools, phylogenetic clustering and over-dispersion analyses, to compare microbial communities across several levels of spatial and seasonal gradients. The advantage of using this highly computational approach over traditional diversity measures is that phylogenetic relatedness can be compared to ecological similarity, so that ecological trait conservatism and redundancy can be examined and functional microbial diversity explored, within the context of environmental and evolutionary history. Until recently, microorganisms were assumed to be globally distributed and have fundamentally different spatial scaling relationships relative to macro-organisms. However, recent studies suggest that microbial biodiversity is similar to higher organisms and that scaling can result from environmental heterogeneity and dispersal history. This project uses various datasets collected over broad spatial, temporal and environmental scales and uses novel bioinformatics approaches to examine and compare several different functional microbial communities to each other, as well as to plant and abiotic data. The training plan provides a unique opportunity in biostatistical, mathematical and theoretical modeling as well as professional networking, mentoring and career-development opportunities.