NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2015

Bloch Natasha I, London

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 Natasha I. Bloch is "Evolution of color vision genes in guppies (Poecilia reticulata) relative to male color: a window into the genetics of mate choice." The host institutions for this fellowship are the University College London (London, UK) and the University of Illinois, and the sponsoring scientist Prof. Judith Mank and Prof. Rebecca Fuller. The fellowship is funded jointly with the Office of International Science and Engineering. Forming international collaborations is not only beneficial to the young scientist who conducts research at the foreign location but is also in the U.S. national interest because that experience in a world-class research organization exposes the next generation of science leaders to the best the host country has to offer in terms of state-of-the-art research and the promises of continuing collaborations that will continue to strengthen U.S. science in the future. The spectacular colors displayed by males during courtship are known to play a role in mate choice by females. Female visual perception therefore may play a critical role in the evolution of male colors. In guppies, male color has evolved multiple times apparently as a trade-off between female preference and predation pressures. Populations under low-predation regimes have repeatedly and independently evolved more colorful males, and females with relatively strong preferences for color. To shed light into the evolutionary relationship between male color and female preferences, the fellowship research uses an integrative approach to study variation in opsins, the visual pigments that mediate vision, asking whether it mirrors the pattern of repeated evolution of male color traits. Next-generation sequencing is being used to evaluate the total number of opsin genes and their genomic position to assess variation in opsin sequence and expression associated with the evolution of colorful populations. To study divergence in the visual system beyond opsins, genes that are actually being expressed are being compared in the retina and the brain's optic lobes. Behavioral experiments are being conducted to determine guppies' sensitivity to color. These last experiments are aimed at linking initial discoveries at the genetic level to their ultimate consequences on guppies' vision and behavior. The results of this research promise a cohesive, integrative and multi-faceted understanding of the role of opsin variation in this a model system of evolution and mate selection. Training goals include extensive training in bioinformatics, particularly applied to the processing and analysis of genomic data, as well as the design and setup of behavioral experiments to study color vision. Educational outreach to students through existing programs that serve under-represented groups are promoting science education and encouraging young students to pursue careers in science and the participation of minority students in biology.