BRC-BIO: GYRnomics: Investigating the relationship between avian immune genes, microbiome, and pathogens in an Arctic raptor

About This Grant

This project will create new knowledge regarding mechanisms that affect disease presence in an Arctic specialist, the gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus). The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon in the world and breeds almost exclusively in the Arctic, which is currently experiencing an unprecedented rate of environmental change. As a top avian predator, the gyrfalcon is a sentinel of Arctic health. Milder winters are altering the ranges and migration patterns of many animals, which has introduced novel vectors of disease to Arctic systems. There is a need to study the effects of new pathogens in the Arctic and to characterize immune competence mechanisms in wild populations. Arctic birds are important for understanding these mechanisms, given their social and ecological value, long-distance dispersal potential, and ability to transmit disease to other animals and people. This award builds capacity at Boise State University to use cutting-edge approaches, including the generation of whole genomes of birds and their gut microbial communities, to understand the relationship between mechanisms of immune competence and disease presence in this iconic raptor species. The research is timely because it explores the ability of scientists to test for resilience to diseases that are affecting birds and people globally, including highly pathogenic avian influenza. This proposed work will broaden participation in the sciences for K-12 and undergraduate students, by supporting an Adopt-a-Scientist event and the development of undergraduate research-based curriculum, and will also support interdisciplinary research training of three undergraduates and two graduate students. The effects of new and expanding pathogens on natural Arctic systems remains poorly understood, highlighting the need to identify and monitor immune competence mechanisms in wild populations. In this project, early-career researchers from Boise State University will leverage existing global partnerships and emergent technologies to sequence the genomes and gut metagenomes of an Arctic raptor, the gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), to understand mechanisms that underpin immune competence. Researchers will compare immune gene copy number, variation, and selection between gyrfalcon and its globally distributed congener, the peregrine falcon (F. peregrinus), using high-quality and readily available reference genomes. Whole genome sequences of hosts and their gut microbial communities (i.e., the ‘holobiont’) will be analyzed to reveal mechanistic differences across three long-term study sites in Alaska, Greenland, and Iceland. The researchers will test whether the holobiont can predict the presence of avian pathogens, including highly pathogenic avian influenza, avian malaria, and falcon adenovirus. They will broaden relationships with the global gyrfalcon research community and generate high quality genomic datasets that will support future co-developed investigations, such as identifying gyrfalcon demographic trends, the genomic-basis of color polymorphism, and genomic monitoring of populations susceptible to disease. 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.