Dimensions of Biodiversity 2010–2014 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION PROJECTS CO-FUNDED BY Introduction 4 Project Abstracts 2014 6 Project Updates 2013 32 Project Updates 2012 46 Project Updates 2011 60 Project Updates 2010 76 a FRONT COVER IMAGES f g h b c i k l j m n o p q r d e IMAGE CREDIT THIS PAGE FRONT COVER a Jon G. Sanders d Karen E. Sears f Anothny R. Ives k Karen E. Sears o Michael N. Dawson b E.M. Rivkina e Jenny Xiang g Piotr Łukasik l Ivan Prates p Jon G. Sanders c Klaus Nüsslein h Walter S. Judd m John Wertz & q Ryan McMinds & i Robert Brucker & Alicia Withrow Jerome Payet Seth Bordenstein n Fabian A. r Richard Lankau j Olle Pellmyr Michelangeli FIELD SITES Argentina France Singapore Australia French Guiana South Africa Bahamas French Polynesia Spain Belize Germany Sweden Bermuda Iceland Switzerland Bolivia Japan Tahiti Brazil Madagascar Taiwan Canada Malaysia Thailand China Mexico Trinidad Colombia Norway United States Costa Rica Palau United Kingdom Czech Republic Panama Venezuela Dominican Peru Labrador Sea Republic Philippines North Atlantic Ecuador Poland Ocean Finland Puerto Rico North Pacific Ocean Russia Saudi Arabia COLLABORATORS Argentina Finland Palau Australia France Panama Brazil Germany Peru Canada Guam Russia INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS Chile India South Africa China Brazil China Indonesia Sri Lanka (NSFC) (FAPESP) Colombia Japan Sweden Costa Rica Kenya United Ecuador Malaysia Kingdom Mexico ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many NSF staff members, too numerous to We thank Mina Ta, Design Specialist, for her mention individually, assisted in the development important contributions to the abstract booklet. and implementation of the Dimensions of Finally we are grateful to AAAS Science and Biodiversity competitions that resulted in Technology Policy Fellows Drs. Sara Chun, Sean the projects described herein. We thank and M. Watts, and Karen Alroy who were most helpful congratulate the Dimensions of Biodiversity in the strategic planning for the Dimensions of investigators for their creativity and achievements Biodiversity program and the production of this in the research and coordination activities that abstract booklet. these projects represent. Dimensions of Biodiversity both abundance and diversity. Beyond taxonomy, the genetic The Dimensions of Biodiversity program is diversity within even a single species can be vast. The tremendous variation among domestic dog breeds illustrates now in its fifth year of research support to this. In addition, the genetic diversity within crop plants and characterize the least-well-known aspects of the their immediate relatives continues to play a critical role in diversity of life on Earth. The National Science their resilience and durability. Finally, species and genetic Foundation (NSF) funded 12 new projects in diversity are best understood in a phylogenetic context and fiscal year 2014 bringing the total number of reflect how biodiversity is shaped over time. Utilizing this funded projects to 67. same historic lens of phylogenetics to investigate ecological, physiological, behavioral, cellular and even molecular patterns and processes both strengthens and advances how Identifying species is just a first step in the journey of we understand biodiversity. Despite centuries of study, we assessing the planet’s biological diversity, but for many still have much to learn about the origin, maintenance, and organisms even this step is far from complete. Recent function of diversity. estimates predict that there may be as many as ~8.7 million eukaryotic species globally, of which ~2.2 million are marine1. Addressing the substantial knowledge gaps in our This suggests that approximately 86% of existing species understanding of biodiversity requires new thinking and a on Earth and 91% of species in the ocean have yet to be coordinated effort among several sub-disciplines of biology. described, and these estimates do not even account for the An important distinction the Dimensions initiative provides diversity of prokaryotic organisms. is the simultaneous investigation of the links and feedbacks between genetic, taxonomic/phylogenetic, and functional All species rely on a vast network of mostly invisible and dimensions of biodiversity. The Dimensions of Biodiversity largely unknown life forms, such as bacteria, that far program is actively developing the workforce and partnerships outnumber the more obvious organisms on the planet in necessary for the unique human- and cyber-infrastructure challenges of an interdisciplinary network of researchers. Dimensions has previously partnered with NASA to fund 1 Mora, C., et al. “How many species are there on Earth and in projects that use remote sensing technologies to expand the ocean?” PLoS Biology 9.8 (2011): e1001127. biodiversity investigations across broad spatial and temporal STREAMS OF ACTIVITY 2020 GOALS An integrated understanding of the key but unknown dimensions of Research biodiversity on Earth Informatics and infrastructure that support accessible, interoperable Cyberinfrastructure information capability for Dimensions of Biodiversity Digitization of collections and enhanced physical infrastructure to link to Collections cyberinfrastructure and leverage the enormous investments of the past A diverse, interdisciplinary, globally-engaged, scientific workforce capable of Workforce transforming and communicating our understanding of biodiversity on Earth Scientific analyses and syntheses that generate and disseminate useful Synthesis information for scientists, educators and decision makers Planning & Base lining & Assessing Aligning investments APPROACH partnering synchronizing progress with emerging priorities 4 This year’s portfolio of projects will accelerate our understanding of biodiversity across disciplines and across scales of time and space. Through this program, we’re witnessing a transformation in our ability to bridge scientific approaches and perspectives. a Penny Firth Division Director NSF Division of Environmental Biology b c scales. Current international partnerships with the National understanding, and assessing progress periodically during Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the the decade in order to align investments with newly- Brazilian funding agency [The São Paulo Research Foundation appreciated priorities. (FAPESP)] support the exchange of students and scientists, joint research projects, university partnerships and the By 2020, Dimensions of Biodiversity is expected to have digitization of biological collections. transformed our understanding of the scope and role of life on Earth and how biodiversity science is conducted. The Improving how we describe the scope and role of life on initial focus of Dimensions has been on the integration of Earth will require novel, interdisciplinary and coordinated genetic, taxonomic/phylogenetic, and functional aspects approaches. In rising to this challenge, Dimensions of of biodiversity (below). The goal of this activity, which Biodiversity is redefining the way we understand the complements core programs at NSF, is to rapidly advance evolutionary and ecological significance of biodiversity in understanding by integrating the dimensions of biodiversity today’s changing environment, and in the geologic past. about which we know the least. Dimensions of Biodiversity involves five streams of activity. The approach for supporting these activities involves IMAGE CREDIT a Jeffry B. Mitton c Jon Flanders planning and partnering, developing baselines of our current b Walter S. Judd d Susan H. Brawley FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 16 projects 12 projects 14 projects 13 projects 12 projects Partners US Total US Total US Total US Total US Total Taxonomic/ ~$25.7M ~$28.0M ~$26.4M ~$25.1M ~$23M Phylogenetic BIO BIO BIO BIO BIO $18.9M $17.5M $21M $21.7M $22M Other NSF Other NSF Other NSF GEO GEO $6.8M $10.5M $4.7M $1.0M $1.0M TARGET NASA NASA $0.72M $2.5M Genetic Functional NSFC NSFC NSFC NSFC NSFC NSFC ¥0.8M ¥0.6M ¥6M ¥3M ¥3M Up to ¥6M FAPESP- FAPESP- FAPESP- FAPESP- São Paulo São Paulo São Paulo São Paulo $2.2M $1.8M $2.0M Up to $4M d 5 The macroalgal p. 8 Discovering genomic p. 10 US-BIOTA-São Paulo: p. 12 microbiome in space and developmental Chemically mediated and time: Maintaining mechanisms that multi-trophic interaction primary producers underlie sensory diversity across in the Atlantic rocky innovations critical to tropical gradients intertidal zone adaptive diversification a b c Taxonomic, genetic and p. 14 The making of p. 16 Molecular, ecological p. 18 functional biodiversity biodiversity across the and evolutionary of above-ground yeast subphylum dynamics of carbon bacterial endophytes in fixation and diversification subalpine conifers in Agavoideae (Asparagaceae) and Oncidiinae (Orchidaceae) d e f Microbial seed banks: p. 20 Identifying how p. 22 US-BIOTA-São Paulo: p. 24 Processes and patterns the ecological and Integrating dimensions of dormancy-driven evolutionary interactions of microbial biodiversity biodiversity between host and across land use change symbiont shape in tropical forests holobiont biodiversity g h i US-China: p. 26 Coevolution of p. 28 Genetic, phylogenetic, p. 30 How historical scleractinian corals and functional constraints, local and their associated microbial diversity in adaptation, and species microorganisms permanently frozen interactions shape aquatic sediments over biodiversity across geologic time an ancient floristic disjunction j k l 2014 abstracts IMAGE CREDIT a Susan H. Brawley e C. P. Kurtzman h John Wertz