NSF PRFB FY 2023: Multi-omics Assessment of Translocation Impacts on Sonoran Pronghorn

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. Biological responses of individuals to changing environments are not due exclusively to individual genetic factors.

Rather, an organism represents a complex ecosystem, and responses arise partly due to interactions among populations or communities microorganisms that exist within that organism. Furthermore, composition and function of these microorganism communities are dynamic and reflect the broader environmental context of hosts. This research seeks to clarify how wildlife and their gut-associated bacterial, viral, and parasite communities respond to changing environments and interact with each other.

Specifically, the fellow will study these relationships within Sonoran pronghorn (Antilocapra americana sonoriensis), an endangered hoofed-mammal found only in the Sonoran Desert region of Arizona and Mexico. The Sonoran pronghorn is an ideal species for this study because captive individuals undergo annual releases to their wild habitat as part of their recovery efforts, and additional translocations are planned to introduce pronghorn to new habitats in California.

Studying how wildlife respond to such translocations is crucial to improving success and long-term health of other species in need of these conservation measures. The project will also broaden participation in science through incorporating immersive field, laboratory, and computational research experiences for traditionally underrepresented groups, from high school to graduate students.

The fellow will use a multi-omics approach to address the following objectives: 1) investigate the genomic and environmental drivers of gut microbiome and virome composition, and 2) assess host and microbial responses to translocation. Genome, virome, and microbiome amplicon sequencing will be conducted using paired blood and fecal samples from captive Sonoran pronghorn.

Pronghorn will be sampled pre- and post-release in Arizona and California for microbiome/virome characterization and metatranscriptomic sequencing to assess host and microbial transcriptional responses. The fellow will examine relationships among host genomic variation, environmental and immunological factors, and diversity of microbial communities, and datasets will be combined to develop predictive models for translocation impacts on Sonoran pronghorn and ecosystem health.

The project will expand the fellow’s research skillset in microbiome characterization and integration of diverse datasets for predictive modeling with machine learning approaches, providing mentorship opportunities (four student interns per year, as well as a PhD student from Mexico) in addressing independent research questions using data generated by the project.

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.