NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2015

Singhal Sonal, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2015, Broadening Participation. The fellowship supports a research and training plan in a host laboratory for the Fellow, and a plan to broaden participation of groups under-represented in science. The title of the research plan for this fellowship to Sonal Singhal is "Geographic ranges and diversification." The host institution is the University of Michigan, and the sponsoring scientist is Dr. Daniel L. Rabosky. Whether we as a nation see biodiversity as innately valuable or economically valuable, or both, it remains that that biodiversity provides important services to society. Yet, although species are the fundamental unit of biodiversity, much about species are a mystery. To address these unknowns, the fellowship research investigates an important aspect of species: the species range. Species ranges are dynamic through time, originating, shifting, expanding, and sometimes even disappearing. What determines the trajectory of species ranges is not well-understood; but it has important implications for the accumulation and distribution of diversity across landscapes. The research integrates genomic, phylogenetic, and ecological approaches to determine factors that influence range dynamics. In particular, it tests how environmental suitability, dispersal rates, incomplete reproductive isolation, and biotic interactions permit or limit a species ability to expand its range. It then assesses what impact, if any, range evolution has on macroevolutionary dynamics across phylogenies. These ideas are being tested using genetic resources and materials already collected from lizard communities in Australian arid and Brazilian neotropical biomes, as they are two of the most diverse vertebrate communities on Earth. The host laboratory has an extensive collection of the needed materials and live animals are not being used. The broad phylogenetic and geographic sampling ensures the findings can be generalized. Training goals include gaining expertise in phylogenetic comparative methods and macroevolutionary analyses using computational approaches. Broader impact plans include developing programming courses for young girls in the public schools, working with the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History to engage the community in biodiversity science, and training undergraduates in the process of scientific research.