The study — led by Sergio Estrada-Villegas, assistant professor at Universidad del Rosario and former Cullman postdoctoral associate at YSE — involved analyzing data which spanned over 100 years at the Barro Colorado Nature Monument in Central Panama. The researchers strived to understand how different animal species contribute to seed dispersal in the process of forest regeneration.

“Animals are usually perceived as passive players as forests regenerate,” Estrada-Villegas said. “We believe this perception is inaccurate because we know animals disperse a significant number of plant species, particularly in tropical forests. By dispersing seeds, animals might be much more important in the regeneration of tropical forests than previously thought.”

The researchers investigated four categories of animals: large birds, small birds, flightless mammals and bats, according to Estrada-Villega. He noted that 300 plant species in forests, ranging from 20 to 100 years of regrowth, could each be associated with one of the four animal categories through the seed dispersal process. The large regrowth time span range helped Estrada-Villegas understand how each animal group’s role changed over time.

Forests face destruction via many avenues — from loggers to wildfires. Many forests must go through a restoration process to return to a healthy and biodiverse state. The study found that the longer a forest had been in recovery, seed dispersal increased among large birds but decreased among small birds, said Estrada-Villega. Bats held a minor role in seed dispersal, and contrary to predictions, flightless mammals played the most crucial role.

Previous studies reported flightless mammals having low dispersal numbers, noted Estrada-Villega. However, according to Estrada-Villega, Central Panama has been protected from hunting since the 1970’s and is surrounded by large tracts of forest growth.

“We believe these two aspects have kept a diverse and abundant community of flightless mammals that disperse an important number of tree species,” Estrada-Villegas said.

The study also accentuates the importance of redundancy: Estrada-Villegas explained that since many animal species disperse the same seeds, if one population phases out, another group of animals will continue seed dispersal.

This study is particularly unique given the large dataset, according to Estrada-Villega. The researchers used two existing data sets and combined them “in a novel way,” allowing them to gain “valuable insights” about forest regeneration, noted Liza Comita, professor of tropical forest ecology.

In general, forest restoration research highlights the importance of ecological relationships, as organisms depend on one another, according to Graeme Berlyn, professor of forest management and physiology of trees.

“[For example], the Yucca plant is only pollinated by the Yucca moth, and the moth can only survive if it can deposit its eggs in the Yucca plant,” Berlyn said. “So if we lose one, we lose both.”

Furthermore, the dynamic tracking and quantification of different animal groups and their role in seed dispersal is unique among restoration research, according to Estrada-Villegas.

Given this clearer understanding of the role of animals in forest restoration, Estrada-Villegas believes animal monitoring should be included in future restoration efforts.

“Usually, tree cover or biomass accumulation are the variables that determine the success of restoration projects,” Estrada-Villegas said. “I believe that understanding which ecological interactions reestablish during restoration and their speed of recovery can be as important as quantifying variables related to forest structure.”

Using this study as fuel, Estrada-Villegas hopes to bring animals back into the conversation regarding recovering forests.

Estrada-Villegas said he was “shocked” that many of his colleagues focusing on forest regeneration and restoration had been completely focused on trees, regarding animals as “bystanders of plant regeneration.”

“We needed to bring back the animals into the discussion,” Estrada-Villegas said.

This study was co-authored by Pablo Stevenson, a faculty member at Universidad de los Andes; Omar López, a researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Saara J. DeWalt, the department chair Biological Sciences at Clemson University; and Daisy H. Dent, a topical ecologist at the Max Planck Institute for animal behavior.

The study was published in the The Royal Society.

The post Yale study discovers animals’ crucial role in tropical forest restoration through seed dispersal appeared first on Yale Daily News.

Tucci, an assistant professor of Anthropology and principal investigator of the Human Evolutionary Genomics Lab at Yale, studies human evolution and the genomic history of human populations. Postdoctoral and graduate researchers from around the world work in the Human Evolutionary Genomics Lab using an integrative approach that combines insights from population genomics, molecular biology, genome sequencing, computational biology and anthropology. 

As a recipient of the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award funded by the NIH, Tucci plans to expand her lab’s horizons by focusing on sequencing the genome of the Indigenous people of Oceania.

“Most of the genomics studies today focus on populations of European ancestry, and this leaves a huge gap in the representation of genetic variation in human populations as many populations are being left behind, and [that missing genetic information] has important implications in human health and exacerbates human health inequalities,” Tucci said.

When human ancestors migrated from Africa into Eurasia, they interacted with Neanderthals and Denisovans, extinct branches of hominins. Modern Oceanic people inherited 2 to 4 percent of their DNA from Denisovans, a number far higher than European populations, according to Tucci. She explained that despite the unique evolutionary history of the migrations of Oceanic populations and their encounters with extinct hominins, researchers lack genomic data from these populations and are missing a substantial amount of the world’s genetic variation.

Tucci said that by filling in the gaps of the human genome, scientists will be better prepared to understand how genetic variation contributes to environmental adaptations and population differences in disease risk.

She added that it is important to remember how the scientific community interacts with Indigenous populations and local scientists in other countries.

In the past, researchers have often engaged in helicopter research, a type of research where scientists from wealthier countries collect samples from Indigenous communities and publish their results without the involvement — and, in some cases  without the permission — of local institutions, leaders and governments.  

While completing her doctoral degree at the University of Ferrara, Tucci established a research partnership with scientists at the Eijkman Institute of Jakarta and communities in Indonesia, resulting in a high-impact publication which included all of her Indonesian collaborators as co-authors. Tucci said she is committed to building meaningful international scientific partnerships to create a ripple of engagement with local communities.

“It is immensely inspiring to see this award given to a woman in science, and we are all so pleased that the merits and importance of our research have been recognized,” said Samantha Miller GRD ’27, a doctoral student in the Human Evolutionary Genomics Lab.

Originally from South Italy, Tucci draws from her experience as an international scientist to inform her research and teaching. In the classroom, Tucci strives to represent marginalized groups of students. She emphasized that “representation matters in my lab.”

“This is important for me being a woman in STEM teaching these topics and [is] particularly empowering for women students,” Tucci said, in reference to her programming and computational biology courses.

When she taught her first programming course, women were the minority in the class. Now, Tucci said, women outnumber men in many of her courses.

As an immigrant and international researcher, Tucci understands the difficulty that language barriers can pose in the classroom. She noticed her international students often feared asking questions, so she started posting some presentations and class notes in their first language. From that day, their participation suddenly increased, showing Tucci how much participation is missed if professors do not prioritize representation.

As a mentor, Tucci is dedicated to empathy. Audrey Tjahjadi GRD ’27, a doctoral student in the Human Evolutionary Genomics Lab, is interested in physiology and how humans interact with the environment, As her supervisor, Tucci makes it a priority to help Tjahjadi discover ways to incorporate her interest with the lab’s vision.

 “Being an early-career PI, I think [Tucci’s] more closely in-tune with our priorities as graduate students and she’s been very supportive in trying to help us formulate projects that cater to our specific interests,” Tjahjadi said.

Tucci emphasized that being awarded the MIRA grant was a team effort. Her research and future aspirations would not be possible without the number of lab members, mentors and collaborators she has worked with over the years. She also draws inspiration from her students, whose continued curiosity and unwavering support for her lab’s vision pushed her to make breakthroughs in diversifying the field of genomics.

Tucci advised other early-career scholars to carve time to focus on their writing. With a competitive grant like MIRA, it is important to invest time in improving their writing and communication skills.

“Always write with your audience in mind,” Tucci said. 

Tucci’s proposal was awarded the MIRA grant on the first try, but this is not always the case. She encourages other researchers to keep their goals in mind, and to never allow failures to stop them from succeeding.

Tucci came to Yale in 2020 as an assistant professor.

The post Yale professor receives $2 million to bridge genomics representation gap appeared first on Yale Daily News.