NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2015

Quandt Catherine A, Ann Arbor MI

Investigators

Abstract

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 C. Alisha Quandt is "Fungal community variation associated with the digestive tracts of a large collection of predatory, marine snails." The host institution for this fellowship is the University of Michigan (UM), and the sponsoring scientist is Timothy Y. James. Research into vertebrate microbiomes has led to the discovery of previously unidentified fungal and bacterial communities that are not only beneficial to their multicellular hosts, but in some cases, essential. Studies of microbial communities associated with invertebrates, however, are rare but offer an important opportunity for discovery. The fellowship research seeks to use existing collections of Conus, a well-studied genus of predatory marine snails, to characterize their fungal gut communities and their functional profile to determine if these are correlated with host genetics, diet, or geographical distribution. Data are being collected from preserved specimens about the fungal communities associated with marine mollusks. Mollusca, one of the largest animal phyla, can have broad geographic ranges and several mollusks have become invasive throughout the world, sometimes with devastating economic and ecological effects; yet little is known about their microbial communities. This pioneering study is made possible by the existing collection and promises a breadth and depth of sampling never before conducted on any mollusk genus as well as the first culture-independent study of fungi associated with mollusks. Results have the potential to unearth not only several new species of fungi, but possibly undescribed lineages, and increase understanding of the functional capabilities of the fungal communities associated with mollusks, possibly linking Conus diet with functional characteristics of the microbiome. A connection between microbiome and diet may explain how mollusks are able to thrive in newly invaded habitats. Training goals and career advance activities include gaining skills in new experimental systems and management skills, including both research and museum collection management. Educational outreach includes undergraduate students through funding from the UM Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) program and 4th to 6th grade girls through the Females Excelling More in Math Engineering and the Sciences (FEMMES) program at UM at after school education events.