REU: Parental Effects in Plantago lanceolata

许多实证研究表明，父母可以影响后代的外观（表型），而不仅仅是细胞核染色体对后代的影响。例如，生态学和遗传学研究表明，父母生长的物理环境会影响后代的生长和繁殖。同样不受环境影响，父母可以将核外DNA传给后代；这种DNA也可以影响生长和繁殖。莱西的研究将进一步描述这些亲代效应（定义为父母对后代表型的非核贡献），并提供有关这些效应在自然和人工选择中的作用的信息。本研究将重点研究在农田草本植物车前草和其他受干扰生境中，亲本开花时间对后代表型的影响。开花时间的影响将直接进行检验。此外，由于开花时间的影响可能是通过流动和种子成熟过程中的温度变化介导的，莱西将研究温度如何影响后代的表型。基因不同的亲本将被克隆，然后在不同的温度组合和室外不同的开花时间下生长和杂交。杂交后的后代将被培育并测量其性状。这些将被测量的性状决定了个体在自然或进化环境中的适应性，以及在农业环境中的产量。由于产量将被测量，这项研究将为作物育种者提供有用的信息。产量最大化（作物育种者的目标）需要知道一代的开花时间和温度是否会影响下一代的产量，如果会的话，哪些产量成分会受到影响。例如;如果发现部分受遗传控制的亲本开花时间会影响后代的产量，那么育种者应该能够通过改变上一代的开花时间或温度来提高具有商业重要性的一代的产量。莱西的项目将提供有关亲代效应在作物育种项目中潜在应用的信息。

Many empirical studies demonstrate that parents can influence offspring appearance (phenotype) beyond the effects of nuclear chromosomes that parents contribute to offspring. For example, ecological and genetic studies have shown that the physical environment in which the parents are grown can affect offspring growth and reproduction. Likewise independent of environment, parents can transmit extra-nuclear DNA to offspring; this DNA can also influence growth and reproduction. Lacey's study will further characterize these parental effects (defined as these non-nuclear contributions that parents make to offspring phenotype), and also provide information about the role of these effects in natural and artificial selection. The research will focus on the effects of parental flowering time on offspring phenotype in Plantago lanceolata, an herbaceous weed of agricultural fields and other disturbed habitat. Flowering time effects will be examined directly. Also, because flowering time effects are probably mediated through temperature change during flowing and seed maturation, Lacey will examine how temperature affects offspring phenotype. Genetically different parents will be cloned and then grown and crossed under different combinations of temperatures and at different flowering times outdoors. Offspring of the crosses will then be grown and traits measured. The traits that will be measured determine an individual's fitness in a natural or evolutionary context and yield in an agricultural context. Because yield will be measured, the research will provide information that will be useful to crop breeders. Maximizing yield (a goal of crop breeders) necessitates knowing whether flowering time and temperature in one generation influence yield in the next and, if they do, what yield components are affected. For example; if parental flowering time, which is partially genetically controlled, is found to influence offspring yield, then breeders should be able to improve yield in a generation of commercial importance by altering flowering time or temperature in the previous generation. Lacey's project will provide information about the potential use of parental effects in crop breeding programs.