This $240,000 National Science Foundation project grant funds research assessing the morphological, behavioral, and genetic impacts of methylmercury on spiders. The grant supports a postdoctoral research fellowship in biology for 2023-2027 under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074).
The fellow will conduct laboratory and field studies to investigate sub-lethal effects of methylmercury exposure on spiders' behavior, growth, reproduction, and gene expression. Testing will include short-term, long-term and multi-generational dietary exposures. Measurements will encompass physical and behavioral endpoints as well as transcriptome analysis to identify genes associated with methylmercury toxicity. Insights gained will further genomic and transcriptomic knowledge of spiders and inform future contaminant ecotoxicology studies. The research aims to advance understanding of methylmercury's environmental impacts on individual spiders and spider communities. Outreach and education products are planned to benefit the public.