NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2019: The evolution and function of fish surfaces and lateral lines

Wainwright, Dylan Kenji, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2019, Research Using Biological Collections. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will utilize biological collections in innovative ways. The fellow will complete research to understand the evolution and function of fish scales by studying broad patterns of fish scale evolution, the loss and re-evolution of scales, and the structure and function of the lateral line canal (part of the lateral line system, which fishes use to sense water movement around them). Overall, this three-part project will help show how scales have evolved in fishes and how they function in different ways (protection, hydrodynamics, anti-parasite), thus illuminating the currently limited understanding of this important feature of fishes. In addition, this research has the potential to produce knowledge that can be useful for designing surfaces that increase hydrodynamic and aerodynamic efficiency. The project will foster the education of high school students and undergrads by teaching them both research and professional skills. The fellow will work with museums to design interactive outreach activities and perform lectures to visiting groups at the Yale Peabody Museum with the goal of making science and scientific careers more accessible, especially for underserved groups. This work will occur in three parts. The first will be a study of broad patterns of fish scale evolution using profilometry techniques to image fish surface topography. This research will generate understanding of the diversity of fish surfaces and it will help connect fish surface structure to function. The second part of this research will study scale loss in Antarctic icefishes, as well as scale loss and the re-evolution of scales in catfishes, using both images of fish surfaces and genetic data. This project will aid in understanding the function of scales and how the repeated evolution of a trait can occur. The third part of this research will examine the diversity, structure, and function of the lateral line canal of fishes using computed-tomography scanning and physical modeling. This work will directly address the knowledge gap regarding how form relates to function in lateral line scales, thus providing crucial knowledge about this sensory system and background for efforts designing biomimetic flow sensors. The fellow will be trained in cutting-edge biological methods to expand their research abilities and will also participate in pedagogical activities. 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.