NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2021: : Investigating the roles of epigenetic and genomic variation through time in the invasion success of Japanese white-eye

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2021, 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 introduction of non-native species in an environment can have significant problematic effects on many native species in that environment.

Therefore, a main goal of invasion biology is to understand what makes a species a successful invader. Understanding the genetics of invasive species is considered extremely important to understanding what makes a species a successful invader. This project will focus on epigenetic mechanisms for invasive species.

Epigenetic mechanisms can regulate gene expression, and therefore an individual’s phenotype, without any change in DNA sequence. As it becomes increasingly clear that epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in species responses to changing environments, it is essential to assess how epigenetic mechanisms themselves evolve. The nascent field of historical epigenetics, or the epigenetics of museum specimens, provides an exciting opportunity to study the evolution of epigenetic mechanisms.

Understanding the genetic and epigenetic characteristics of species can help predict its capacity for invasion, and therefore provide information that can aid in mitigating the negative effects of species introductions.

The primary objective of this research is to investigate the relative roles epigenetic and genomic variation in invasion success, focusing on the Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus), also known as the warbling white-eye. Z. japonicus, a bird native to East Asia, was introduced to Hawaii in the early 1900s and has since become the most abundant bird on the islands.

This study will use whole genome sequencing and modern and historical epigenetics to 1) characterize current levels of genomic and epigenetic divergence in native and invasive populations of Z. japonicus, 2) assess how genomic and epigenetic divergence changed over time in these populations, and 3) characterize epigenetic variation in genes involved in immune response to avian malaria, a disease that has decimated native Hawaiian bird populations but Z. japonicus shows resistance to. This research tests the central hypothesis that epigenetic variation plays a large role in early colonization by an invasive species but that over time the pathways become robust, and populations show increased genomic divergence.

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.