NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: Mosquito-borne disease networks and variation in transmission traits across a gradient of anthropogenic impact

Massey, Aimee, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2021, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the Fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. The spread of zoonotic disease directly ties human and wildlife communities together. Not only are there direct consequences of contracting infection at the individual level, but there are local and global costs of mitigating the effects of disease outbreak. From an ecosystem services perspective, the increase in human-wildlife interactions and subsequent disease emergence caused by deforestation should inform the costs of losing tropical forests. However, there are gaps in knowledge about the impacts of land-use change on vector-borne disease because of the difficulty in collecting such data. This research will use a novel approach of integrating genomic sequencing with vector feeding behavior to quantify patterns of zoonotic disease transmission across a gradient of human activity along the Juruá River in the Amazon rainforest. The research will address the consequences of ongoing landscape transformation on biodiversity and human health; students of diverse backgrounds will be engaged in field-training and research activities throughout the study. Using novel techniques for sequencing and identifying DNA and RNA present in mosquito vector samples, the Fellow will focus on quantifying (1) the abundance and distribution of host, vector, and pathogen species communities and (2) the transmission traits (biting rate and host choice) of mosquito vectors. To accomplish these objectives, the Fellow will work in collaboration with Brazilian researchers at the Instituto Juruá to collect mosquitoes from forested sites along the Juruá River that span a gradient of anthropogenic activity. The DNA and RNA from these vectors will be sequenced using a molecular method of massive parallel sequencing (metabarcoding). This protocol will allow the Fellow to directly measure the interactions of individual vectors with their hosts (both wildlife and human hosts) as well as quantify disease prevalence across different levels of land-use change. The interdisciplinary nature of the research along with an emphasis on combining field and wet-lab methods present opportunities for mentoring of young scientists and students. The Fellow will use cutting-edge molecular methods which can be generalized to other systems. The study will also promote international collaboration and produce meaningful disease risk data for an initiative to manage wildlife and habitat along the Juruá River. 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.