BRC-BIO: Flexible traits and functional trade-offs: an integrated analysis of gastrointestinal plasticity in mammals

Information on the phenotypic traits of organisms (their morphological, physiological, and behavioral properties) informs understanding of ecological processes, evolutionary diversification, and responses of species to environmental change. However, existing trait databases are not representative of the geographic and functional diversity within most taxonomic groups. This is especially true for soft tissue structures related to diet and energy balance in mammals. This BRC-BIO project takes a field- and laboratory-based approach to advance knowledge of gastrointestinal (GI) tract variation in small-bodied mammals inhabiting seasonal environments of the Appalachian Mountains of eastern North America. The award funds seasonal field collections of small mammals at three National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) sites, generation of a comprehensive suite of phenotypic measurements from the GI tract, and new dietary analyses that will establish understanding of how these species optimize nutrient acquisition from food resources that vary seasonally, in support of survival and reproduction. The project will build important research and training capacity for the PI, and achieve broader impact by creating unique training opportunities in fieldwork and biodiversity data analysis for a racially and culturally diverse group of undergraduate students, as well as by facilitating new GI-themed community outreach events. Organismal responses to global change are mediated by interactions between phenotypic traits and the environments in which populations occur. Accurately predicting these responses requires individual level measurements of traits whose form-function relationships are well-understood. The purpose of this BRC-BIO project is to advance knowledge of gastrointestinal (GI) tract form, function, and plasticity in small mammals inhabiting seasonal environments. The GI tract is a key organ system tasked with optimizing energetic balance around seasonally-dynamic resource bases. However, knowledge of how and why GI morphology varies in wild populations and in relation to diet and energy requirements remains fragmentary. This project will generate new, high-resolution data on small mammal diet and link these with macro- and microscopic GI proxies to establish robust form-function relationships and illuminate pathways of mammalian response to changing resource availability. These relationships will be explored within and among three species over space (multiple NEON sites in the Appalachian Mountains) and time (3 years and all seasons). The project will allow the PI to build critical research capacity by expanding inquiry of soft tissue functional traits and integrating museum specimens with multiple NEON data streams. It will also establish a biodiversity data literacy course and lab training opportunities that will engage diverse undergraduates in authentic research and field experiences and expedite their recruitment into STEM fields.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.