NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2015

Longo Ana V, Hyattsville MD

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. This fellowship to Ana V. Longo supports research on what defines the ability of fungal pathogens to infect multiple species of amphibians. The host institutions for this fellowship are University of Maryland (UMD) and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), and the sponsoring scientists are Dr. Karen Lips and Dr. Robert Fleischer. Fungal diseases are currently recognized as an important threat to biodiversity and food security. High virulence, long-lived environmental stages, and opportunistic strategies are characteristics that not only allow fungal pathogens to counteract host immunity in different species but also to persist in the environment in the absence of a host. The fellowship research focuses on two fungi that are involved in global amphibian declines. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is a generalist and infects species over three amphibian taxonomic orders, whereas B. salamandrivorans only infects salamanders and newts. Three research objectives include: (1) determine the relative contribution of host phylogeny, ecology, and geographical distribution to host specificity in Batrachochytrium fungi, (2) perform experimental co-infections to measure fungal competition, colonization success and disease severity, and (3) investigate the putative role of Batrachochytrium in enigmatic declines of Plethodontid salamanders in the United States. By extending beyond single-host single-pathogen systems, the Fellow aims to elucidate new transmission events that may have contributed to the recent increase in disease outbreaks. Training goals include techniques in biodiversity informatics, use of natural history collections, landscape epidemiology, fungal metagenomics, phylogenetic reconstruction, and use of social media for science communication. The plan to broaden participation includes the recruitment, training, and mentoring of undergraduate/graduate students from under-represented groups in science. Considering the demographic diversity at College Park, MD, where under-represented minorities comprise >40% of the population, the Fellow will take advantage of available networks at UMD to identify students interested in disease ecology and conservation. Additionally, educational outreach to local high school students focuses on disease ecology and amphibian conservation through talks, local field trips, and visits to the lab, giving young students a glimpse of how scientists approach research questions in a university setting.