NSF PRFB FY 2023: Salamanders in the city: An integrative investigation into microevolutionary change

Snead, Anthony Andrew, Tuscaloosa AL

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2023, 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. Urbanization and climate change are rapidly altering habitats, forcing wildlife to either undergo local adaptation, leave, or risk extinction. Amphibians are one of the most threatened groups by both urbanization and climate change; however, amphibians are understudied in evolutionary biology and genomics. Therefore, the northern two-lined salamander, Eurycea bislineata, will be used to better understand the genomic and phenotypic (trait) consequences of urbanization and environmental change. By simultaneously measuring traits and analyzing the genome, the fellow will link genes and traits responsible for local adaptation to provide critical insight into how genomes give rise to complex traits. Through this research, the fellow will develop a long-term species monitoring program that provides essential data on the impact of urbanization on wild populations and offers a unique field biology experience to undergraduate students. Furthermore, the fellow will use the research to mentor undergraduate and graduate students while developing accessible and relevant educational materials for children, adolescents, and adults. Using a hierarchical design, E. bislineata will be sampled from urban, suburban, and rural areas that differ in the local climate. After assembling and annotating the genome with long-read sequencing technology, physiological traits, and 3-D morphology will be collected from each salamander prior to whole genome sequencing. Using that data, the fellow will quantify phenotypic and genomic differentiation between populations before identifying genes potentially under selection and attempting to link the candidate genomic variants with ecologically relevant phenotypic traits. By first identifying genomic and phenotypic variation associated with urbanization and climate, the fellow increases their power to link candidate genes to traits. The fellow will use the data as an accessible example of urban-driven microevolution to develop outreach materials and disseminate them through existing programs established by the American Museum of Natural History and other STEM outreach organizations. The fellow will mentor a diverse group of students from within and outside the sponsoring institution and give guest lectures to develop the skills essential to running a research lab while further developing their strengths (genomic and quantitative) and acquiring skills in organismal biology. 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.