CAREER: Parasitic orchids as models for evolutionary genomics and STEM engagement in Appalachia

Orchids are well-known as one of the most species-rich plant families and have tremendous horticultural importance, but their dependence on species-specific fungal partners for acquiring nutrition at key life stages is less appreciated, despite the fact that a poor understanding of this partnership can serve as a significant barrier to cultivation. While most orchids parasitize specific types of fungi at some stage of their life cycle, over 200 species of these plants have taken this dependence on fungi to an extreme by completely losing the ability to photosynthesize.

This project will investigate the genomic consequences of abandoning photosynthesis and the evolution of extreme fungal host specificity in a comparative context, enabling a better understanding of how this partnership varies at a genetic level. It will bring together research and education by creating lesson plans in high school Biology, through a collaboration among researchers, teachers, and students.

This educational program will focus on rural schools in Appalachia, from which recruitment into STEM careers remains low, engaging the next generation of STEM researchers in a region where employment opportunities are changing. The project will result in sustainable and accessible educational resources for teachers and students that will be disseminated broadly.

The project will focus on: 1) sequencing and evolutionary analysis of plastid genomes for all parasitic orchids and close relatives; 2) molecular identification and phylogenetic analyses of fungal hosts in several focal orchid species complexes; 3) densely sampling the genomes of focal orchid taxa to identify the genomic basis of adaptation in host preference; and 4) creating an integrated model of genomic modification and fungal host specificity. The project will further advance the application of novel, economical, straightforward methods for generating genome-scale polymorphism data using ISSR amplicon sequencing, for use in the developing world, at undergraduate institutions, and in K-12 education.

The research program will be integrated with the educational program, in which high school Biology students will design testable hypotheses based on a set of ‘guided’ questions on a parasitic orchid species native to Appalachia. The PI, students at West Virginia University, and high school Biology teachers in West Virginia will collaborate to design and implement lesson plans that will include web-based tutorials, analysis of genomic data, and scientific communication of findings.

The project will recruit students underrepresented in STEM careers, including first-generation college students. This award was co-funded by the Systematics and Biodiversity Science and Evolutionary Processes Clusters in the Division of Environmental 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.