Rongsong Liu, a UW associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics,
is part of a multi-university and college research team that will study how herbivores
and their gut microbes tolerate defensive toxins produced by the wild plants they
consume. The research is funded through a $6 million National Science Foundation EPSCoR
(Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) grant. (Rongsong Liu Photo)
A University of Wyoming faculty member is part of a multi-university research effort
to predict and manage the interactions between toxic plants and the animals that consume
these plants.
Rongsong Liu, a UW associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics,
is part of a project, titled “Genomes Underlying Toxin Tolerance (GUTT): Identifying
Molecular Innovations that Predict Phenotypes of Toxin Tolerance in Wild Vertebrate
Herbivores.” The research is funded through a $6 million National Science Foundation
EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) grant. The grant began
Aug. 15 and runs through July 31, 2022.
The GUTT team will reveal how herbivores and their gut microbes tolerate defensive
toxins produced by the wild plants they consume.
“Increased understanding of plant toxins and herbivore tolerance is important for
conservation biologists who manage native plants and herbivores; the ranching and
agricultural communities that rely on plants to feed livestock and rely on chemicals
to defend crops from pests; and the medical community that relies on plant-derived
chemicals to manage human health,” says Liu, who also has a quarter appointment in
UW’s Department of Zoology and Physiology.
This better understanding of plant-herbivore systems requires the expertise of many
scientists with different specializations who will advance science and education by
cooperating across state boundaries, she says. This cooperation will require integration
of genomics, chemistry, physiology, evolution, microbiology, population ecology and
modeling expertise in Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming along with state and federal partners.
“My role in this project is modeling,” Liu says. “We will build up mathematical models
to describe the system, use experimental data to estimate some parameter values, and interpret
the theoretical and simulation results in terms of the original biological systems.”
In addition to Liu, the scientific leadership team includes Jennifer Sorensen Forbey
and Eric Hayden, associate professors in the Department of Biological Sciences at
Boise State University; Marjorie Matocq, a professor in the Department of Natural
Resources and Environmental Science, and Lora Richards, assistant professor in the
Department of Biology at the University of Nevada-Reno; and Carolyn Dadabay in the
Department of Chemistry at the College of Idaho.
Four other UW faculty members also are involved. Jeff Beck, a professor in the Department
of Ecosystem Science and Management, will coordinate the collection of field data
in Wyoming. Bledar Bisha, an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science,
will contribute to microbial metabolism of toxins. Kevin Monteith, an assistant professor
in the Department of Zoology and Physiology and in the Haub School of Environment
and Natural Resources, will link physiological data to demographic data of herbivores.
And Derek Scasta, an assistant professor and rangeland extension specialist in the
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, will transfer results predicting demographics
of wild herbivores to domestic species.
The GUTT team members will integrate their expertise to identify how variations in
toxin tolerance influence the physiology, behavior and population dynamics of wild
mammalian and avian herbivores. Additionally, the GUTT team will work with high school
teachers and use course-based undergraduate research experiences in introductory biology,
chemistry and math courses to train, inspire, recruit and retain a diverse workforce
capable of applying genetic understanding of toxin tolerance in animals and microbes
to conservation, agriculture and human health.
The research and educational activities will grow capacity for Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming
faculty, students and community partners to more effectively manage toxic plants and
the animals, microbes and humans that interact with the plants, Liu says.
About GUTT Workforce Development
The GUTT Workforce Development plan leverages leaders in innovative research and transferable
educational practices to build inclusive research and education capacity for 18 early
career faculty who represent marginalized groups in science. The training programs
help Western states and GUTT’s agency partners increase participation from underserved
populations; low-income, rural and first-generation college students; and women through
diversity programs, citizen science and outreach.
