Postdoctoral Fellowship: PRFB: Traveling through time: a historical approach to understanding the genomic basis of rapid urban adaptation in house mice

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 that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. Urbanization is often coupled with increased habitat fragmentation and shifting selective pressures on wildlife.

While some species can readily adjust to these man-made habitats, others are less resilient and may experience population declines. As cities continue to expand, understanding how wild populations respond to urban growth will be important. Rapid adaptation (e.g., adaptation on ecological timescales) is one potential response that can lead to long-term population persistence.

The proposed research will compare historical and contemporary collections of wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) from around New York City (NYC) to investigate evolutionary responses to urbanization and identify genomic variation that contributes to rapid adaptation. The fellow will also increase public engagement with and awareness of urban biodiversity, by using the data generated from this project to develop and disseminate genomic datasets and K-12 classroom modules on urban wildlife and bioinformatics.

Using computational and statistical methods that combine environmental, genetic, and phenotypic data, the fellow will 1) characterize temporal shifts in urban population structure and genetic diversity and 2) identify genomic signatures of rapid urban adaptation, including parallel adaptive changes across space and time. The extensive genomic resources house mice provide as a model organism will facilitate the connection of genomic variation to phenotypes tied to fitness.

Additionally, museum specimens open a unique window into a time period of increasing anthropogenic activity, which can help establish important baselines from which to evaluate genomic change and identify putatively adaptive loci. The fellow will receive training in low-coverage whole-genome sequencing and bioinformatics approaches, as well as selection scan methodology.

Finally, to broaden participation in science, the fellow will mentor undergraduates on related research projects, and share results with local community members and management groups.

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.