Award Abstract # 1926105
Collaborative research: Phylogenomic analyses of lorisiform primates using museum collections

NSF Org: BCS
Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
Recipient: THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO
Initial Amendment Date: August 27, 2019
Latest Amendment Date: April 22, 2024
Award Number: 1926105
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Rebecca Ferrell
rferrell@nsf.gov
 (703)292-7850
BCS
 Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
SBE
 Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences
Start Date: August 15, 2019
End Date: July 31, 2025 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $259,226.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $259,226.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2019 = $259,226.00
History of Investigator:
  • Luca Pozzi (Principal Investigator)
    luca.pozzi@utsa.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: University of Texas at San Antonio
1 UTSA CIR
SAN ANTONIO
TX  US  78249-1644
(210)458-4340
Sponsor Congressional District: 20
Primary Place of Performance: University of Texas at San Antonio
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio
TX  US  78249-1644
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
20
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): U44ZMVYU52U6
Parent UEI: U44ZMVYU52U6
NSF Program(s): Biological Anthropology
Primary Program Source: 01001920DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1392, 9179
Program Element Code(s): 139200
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.075

ABSTRACT

This project will advance current understanding of the primate tree of life by investigating the evolutionary history of galagos and lorises, which are elusive, nocturnal primate species that have been understudied relative to other primate groups. The investigators will sequence the whole genomes of ten galago and loris genera for which no genomic data are yet available. They will also generate genomic data from a large number of primate specimens stored in museum collections. By combining these unprecedented datasets, this research will address fundamental questions about evolutionary relatedness, adaptations, and biogeography in these primate groups. The project will result in a freely accessible genomic database representing an important resource for future studies of all primates and especially for the galagos and lorises, which are extremely difficult to sample in the wild. This research and the database will also inform the conservation of galagos and lorises, many of which are highly endangered with extinction. The investigators will recruit graduate and undergraduate students from historically underrepresented groups in San Antonio (UTSA) and New York (AMNH), and train them in bioinformatics, molecular laboratory techniques, and conservation sciences. The investigators will also contribute to broader training through development of an open access teaching module on the applications of museum collections and phylogenomics to biodiversity conservation.

Understanding primate evolutionary history and the processes of adaptation and diversification is a significant research goal within biological anthropology and biology. This task has been particularly difficult for small, nocturnal and elusive primate species like the galagos and lorises. This study will leverage the vast number of specimens housed in museum collections all over the world to improve our knowledge of the evolutionary history of the lorisiforms (galagos and lorises). By producing genomic data for this understudied group of primates, the investigators will be able to address questions about their evolutionary history, species diversity, and biogeography. The researchers will use a combination of short-read and long-molecule DNA sequencing to obtain genomic sequences of hundreds of specimens including all the known species currently recognized with the lorisiforms. This large comparative dataset will be used to 1) infer a comprehensive picture of the primate tree, including time estimates for the various branches; 2) identify cryptic species diversity; and 3) enable a stronger scientific basis to inform the conservation of endangered lorisiforms, which are typically neglected in both research focus and conservation attention in comparison to larger-bodied primates. This project is jointly funded by the Biological Anthropology program, Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, and the Systematics and Biodiversity Sciences Cluster, Division of Environmental Biology.

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.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Decamp, RM and Trujillo, AE and Tilton, KM and Blair, ME and Pozzi, L and Disotell, TR and Tosi, AJ and Burrell, AS and Bergey, CM "The Impacts of Mating System on Sperm Gene Evolution in Primates" American journal of physical anthropology , v.177 , 2022 Citation Details
Miller, E and Luhrs, A and Blair, ME and Pozzi, L "The Power of the Senses: Using Ecological Niche Modeling to Evaluate the Role of Sensory Drive in the Divergence of Dwarf Galagos (Paragalago spp.)" American journal of physical anthropology , v.177 , 2022 Citation Details
Miller, Evan and Luhrs, Averee and Mancini, Amanda and Blair, Mary E and Pozzi, Luca "Assessing Ecological Divergence and Speciation Scenarios of the Paragalago zanzibaricus Species Complex Through Climatic Niche Modeling" International Journal of Primatology , 2023 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-023-00374-7 Citation Details
Penna, A and Herrera, JP and Pozzi, L "Evolutionary deja-vus: Why did size reduction evolve multiple times within primates?" American journal of physical anthropology , v.177 , 2022 Citation Details
Penna, Anna and Blair, Mary E and Lui, Hsiao-Lei and Peters, Elsa and Kistler, Logan and Pozzi, Luca "Overcoming Challenges to Extracting and Sequencing Historical DNA to Support Primate Evolutionary Research and Conservation, with an Application to Galagos" International Journal of Primatology , 2024 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-024-00429-3 Citation Details
Penna, Anna and Pozzi, Luca "Hidden in the Dark: A Review of Galagid Systematics and Phylogenetics" International Journal of Primatology , 2024 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-024-00430-w Citation Details
Pozzi, L and Pringle, K and Penna, A and Everson, KM and Weisrock, DW and Blair, ME "Unlocking the past: museomics of African galagids" American journal of physical anthropology , v.177 , 2022 Citation Details
Pozzi, Luca and Penna, Anna "Rocks and clocks revised: New promises and challenges in dating the primate tree of life" Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews , v.31 , 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/evan.21940 Citation Details
Tilton, KM and Trujillo, AE and Decamp, RM and Blair, ME and Pozzi, L and Disotell, TR and Tosi, AJ and Burrell, AS and Bergey, CM "Adaptive evolution of Plasmodium-associated genes in primates" American journal of physical anthropology , v.177 , 2022 Citation Details

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