NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2018

Smith Stephanie M, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2018, Research Using Biological Collections. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will utilize biological collections in innovative ways. This research explores the relationship between form and function, a classic problem in biology. The fellow will investigate this problem by studying the mammalian lumbar spine (lower back). The nature of the form-function relationship varies across organisms, sizes, and structures, and is especially difficult to understand for extreme or unique structures. Extra bony reinforcements have evolved in the spine of anteaters, armadillo, and several shrews, but it is unclear if these reinforcements serve similar functions because their extreme and unusual shapes make them difficult to compare. The fellow will use specialized imaging techniques to analyze the internal structure of the vertebrae in shrews, anteaters, and armadillos. Internal bone structure is indicative of adaptation in response to forces applied to a bone, so this analysis will determine possible functional similarities between these structures that is difficult to detect using external bone structure. This project will promote understanding of how natural selection works to shape morphology; further, it provides an exciting example to demonstrate to the public that scientific understanding of evolution is constantly growing, and collections-based research is critical for facilitating that growth. The fellow will quantify trabecular bone morphology of the lumbar spine in shrews and xenarthrans to test the following hypotheses: 1) convergent evolution of supplementary intervertebral articulations in shrews and xenarthrans reflects adaptation to similar in-vivo loading schemes; 2) a greater degree of external modification corresponds to a vertebral column that is more robust to bearing high in-vivo loads; and 3) vertebral function varies across shrews and xenarthrans according to locomotor type rather than size or phylogeny. The fellow will receive training in micro-CT imaging techniques, quantitative analysis of 3D morphological data, and phylogenetic comparative methods; 3D data collected during this project will be made publicly available for use by future researchers. The fellow will engage the public in the study of convergent evolution and extreme morphologies through education and outreach programs, including the Field Museum of Natural History?s YouTube series The Brain Scoop. The fellow will collaborate on videos for The Brain Scoop highlighting this project and collections-based biological research generally, aiming to increasing scientific literacy and critical thinking skills by encouraging audience members to become engaged with natural history. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.