Postdoctoral Fellowship: PRFB: Exploring the linkages between environmental nucleic acids (eNA) and the aquabiome in streams and rivers

Snyder, Elise Delaney, Notre Dame IN

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2024, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment, and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow who will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. All organisms shed genetic material, referred to as environmental nucleic acids (eNAs), into their surrounding environment by sloughing skin, excreting waste, shedding mucous, etc. Analyzing eNAs can provide information about the presence and abundance of organisms, particularly in aquatic environments where species can be challenging to locate. eNAs come in the form of both DNA (double-stranded molecules that contain all information about an organism) and RNA (the single-stranded molecules that translate DNA into usable components for cells). New evidence suggests that eRNA may be a better marker of organism abundance and location than eDNA because the single-stranded molecules break down rapidly. This project will answer foundational questions about the fate of eRNA in streams and rivers, which could enable this relatively untapped tool to improve conservation efforts in the face of human impacts on ecosystems. Additionally, this project will allow the fellow to gain critical scientific training while broadening participation in STEM through educational outreach, training workshops, and mentorship. This project will explore the relationships between the concentration and persistence of eNAs, organism abundance, and environmental context in flowing waters. The central hypothesis is that, as a uniquely dynamic molecule, eRNA will provide more accurate information about what organisms are present in flowing waters and where they are located. This will be investigated through three synergistic aims. Aim one is to quantify differences in eDNA and eRNA removal using flow-through experimental streams. Aim two is to compare the efficacy of eDNA and eRNA for estimating population sizes and overall community composition, using paired eNA sampling with an ongoing monitoring project that collects fish community data across Illinois. Aim three is to determine what environmental factors influence eRNA and eDNA concentrations by comparing results across sites. This combination of experiments and field approaches will inform the use of eRNA as a predictor of organism location/abundance for conservation and management. This project will also allow the fellow to gain essential laboratory, computational, and project management skills while broadening participation in STEM by the general public through educational outreach and by historically excluded groups through training workshops for undergraduates and peer-to-peer mentorship. 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.