NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2022: Male/female reversal and the ecological implications of plasticity in development

Mcdonough-Goldstein, Caitlin Elizabeth, Vienna

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 type of reproductive organs and traits a plant or animal develops can be influenced by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Variability in male/female development across changing environments, such as male/female reversal, may make a species more or less vulnerability to changes in the environment. This research will investigate the causes and consequences of plasticity in male/female development and provide insight into how species may respond to environmental changes. The Fellow will use copepods for this study, which are abundant aquatic organisms of environmental and economic importance. Investigation of these traits will be conducted from an intentionally inclusive perspective. The proposed research will conduct a thorough examination of gene x environmental influences on male/female development and the molecular mechanisms of this development in the copepod E. affinis. Mechanisms of male/female development are unknown for E. affinis, although changes from male to female have been observed. E. affinis is also a model system of habitat expansion with populations that have adapted from marine to freshwater environments. Variation in traits associated with reproductive organs will be investigated in natural populations adapted to a range of salinities. Lab isoline populations will be used to track how environmental perturbation influences the development of these traits, potentially arising in male/female reversal. Genome sequencing of identified morphs and transcriptomics throughout male/female development will be applied to identify putative determination genes and the molecular pathways that may contribute to variation in male/female development. Together, this research will provide a framework for understanding the sensitivity of male/female development and the mechanisms through which environmental changes can influence these phenotypes. 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.