NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: A New Paradigm for Symbiosis, Immunity Tradeoffs in a Coral Model System, Astrangia poculata

Borbee, Erin M, San Marcos TX

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, 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 research supported by this fellowship will investigate the energetic tradeoffs associated with symbiosis and immunity in corals. Hard corals form the structural foundation of coral reef ecosystems which are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet and represent vital food and economic resources for many countries. The recent increase in frequency of coral disease outbreaks has led to mass mortality of corals and threatened the overall health of these ecosystems. Coral survival on reefs in the tropics is partly dependent on the relationship between the coral and an algal symbiont which provides the coral with energy through photosynthesis. Recent studies have established that the relationship between corals and their symbionts results in a higher overall energetic budget, but at a cost to coral immunity. However, the increased availability of energetic resources should, in turn, augment the coral’s ability to mount a response to an immune challenge. The Fellow will recruit undergraduates of diverse backgrounds to mentor in this research as well as creating a professional network that supports women interested in marine science. This research challenges the existing paradigm that symbiosis comes at a net cost to immunity and disease resistance in corals. Using the temperate coral model system, Astrangia poculata, the research will integrate transcriptomic, metabolomic, and traditional immune assay data to understand how the symbiont’s state impacts baseline energetic budget and immunity in this coral as well as its ability to respond to a pathogen. In addition to evaluating those parameters in symbiotic and aposymbiotic A. poculata colonies, the project will also examine the same parameters in the A. poculata symbiont Breviolum psygmophilum. This integrative approach will generate quantitative and qualitative data to investigate the hypothesis that symbiont state impacts gene expression, metabolic profile, and immunity in coral and symbiont. The findings will inform models for understanding how corals respond to disease as well as identifying reefs susceptible to disease outbreaks. Furthermore, by conducting this research at a Hispanic-serving institution, this project will broaden participation by recruiting undergraduates to work on the research while simultaneously providing training for the Fellow in mentoring these students. 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.