Postdoctoral Fellowship: PRFB: Environmental Forces Shaping Animal Origins: Investigating the microbial ecology of an extremophile choanoflagellate

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2025. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will contribute to biology in innovative ways. This research addresses a fundamental evolutionary question in biology: how did environmental forces shape the emergence of animals from unicellular ancestors? To explore this, the fellow will study choanoflagellates, the closest living relatives of animals. Despite their evolutionary significance, research on choanoflagellates has been largely limited to a few model species. This project focuses on the evolutionary adaptations of Barroeca monosierra, a recently discovered multicellular choanoflagellate isolated from Mono Lake, California, and its novel internal microbiome, to extreme environmental conditions. The findings will provide insights into how choanoflagellates evolve complex interactions with their environment and microbial partners, shedding light on early host-microbe relationships that may have influenced the origin of animals. Additionally, this work has broader implications for conservation and biotechnology, with potential applications in microbial stress resistance and bioremediation. This research will examine how environmental stressors drive adaptation and symbiosis in B. monosierra, focusing on high salinity, arsenic, and cyanide. To achieve this, the fellow will use an interdisciplinary approach, investigating B. monosierra in both its natural habitat and controlled laboratory settings. The project will integrate fieldwork, metagenomic and transcriptomic analyses, microscopy, and gene-editing techniques to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms that enable B. monosierra to survive in extreme conditions. Moreover, the project will characterize the microbial communities associated with B. monosierra, and identify key adaptive pathways involved in environmental resilience. Through this research, the fellow will gain interdisciplinary training in microbial ecology, molecular biology, computational genomics, and field ecology. Broader impacts will include community outreach through educational partnerships with the Mono Lake Committee and local schools, as well as creative science communication initiatives. By integrating cutting-edge research with scientific training and public engagement, this project will advance our understanding of environmental adaptation and microbial symbiosis in the closest relatives of animals while contributing to environmental conservation efforts. 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.