JOB:Ecological-Metabolomic data analysis and lab manager Summary We are looking for a highly motivated recent college graduate with a major in the sciences or computer science who intends to get a PhD but who would first like additional research experience. The start date is May, 2016 or after. The job focuses on (1) running and collecting data from a state-of-the-art UPLC-MS system, a Waters Acquity I-class UPLC with a Xevo G2-qToF, that we own, is based in our lab, and that we use for the analysis of plant secondary metabolites and (2) organizing and analyzing large datasets. Experience with R is recommended. Knowledge of organic chemistry and mass spectrometry is helpful but not required. The work is based in the laboratory of Tom Kursar and Lissy Coley in the Biology Department, University of Utah, Salt Lake City. The position is for at least a year (after 3 month trial period), and pay is 11 to 13 dollars per hour depending on experience. Please send a CV and a statement regarding your interest in this position and your career goals to Tom Kursar at [email protected]
Details We study the ecology and evolution of plant defenses against herbivores in tropical plants, with a focus on the tree genus Inga (Leguminosae). Secondary metabolites are traits that have remained largely cryptic. Recent results show that plant chemistry is key for coexistence and the high local diversity of tropical forests, and possibly, for the evolution of new species. Moreover, recent advances in technology, particularly metabolomics, have improved our ability to quantify plant secondary chemistry. Our goal is to characterize the full range of chemical defenses in many species of Inga. The work focuses on analyses of samples collected in Panama, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, and French Guiana. This requires dedication and attention to detail with both instrumentation and data management. The work in our lab is part of a larger project that includes a DNA-based phylogeny and transcriptomics of Inga being carried out by collaborators at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the University of Edinburgh. Below we have copied an abstract from our 2009 paper that exemplifies the major scientific issues. The evolution of anti-herbivore defenses and their contribution to species coexistence in the tropical tree genus Inga. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 106: 18073-18078. Authors: Thomas A. Kursar, Kyle G. Dexter John Lokvam, R. Toby Pennington, James E. Richardson, Marjorie G. Weber, Eric T. Murakami, Camilla Drake, Ruth McGregor, Phyllis D. Coley Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Panama Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh ABSTRACT Plants and their herbivores constitute over half of the organisms in tropical forests. Therefore a better understanding of the evolution of plant defenses against their herbivores may be central for our understanding of tropical biodiversity. Here we address the evolution of anti-herbivore defenses and their possible contribution to coexistence in the Neotropical tree genus Inga (Fabaceae). Inga has >300 species, has radiated recently, and is frequently one of the most diverse and abundant genera at a given site. For 37 species from Panama and Peru we characterized developmental, ant and chemical defenses against herbivores. We found extensive variation in defenses, but little evidence of phylogenetic signal. Furthermore, in a multivariate analysis, developmental, ant and chemical defenses varied independently (were orthogonal) and appear to have evolved independently of each other. Our results are consistent with strong selection for divergent defensive traits, presumably mediated by herbivores. In an analysis of community assembly, we found that Inga species co-occurring as neighbors are more different in anti-herbivore defenses than random, suggesting that possessing a rare defense phenotype increases fitness. These results imply that interactions with herbivores may be an important axis of niche differentiation that permits the coexistence of many species of Inga within a single site. Interactions between plants and their herbivores likely play a key role in the generation and maintenance of the conspicuously high plant diversity in the tropics.
