ROA: Collaborative Research: Genetic/Environmental Effects on Plant Gametophytic/Sporophytic Dynamics

研究将集中在数量变化的原因， 指植物通过将花粉捐赠给其他植物而产生的种子 个体 锦葵（Hibiscus mallow moscheutos）表明：1）携带父本的花粉管， 基因进入子房，通常在花内竞争胚珠， 2)有些个体的花粉管比其他个体生长得更快。 个体之间的这些差异可能在以下方面很重要： 确定哪些植物在自然界中产生最多的种子 人口。 调查人员将检查亲属 遗传与环境对花粉影响的重要性 性能 他们还将检验花粉管 生长速率与幼苗生长呈正相关 rates. 结果可以直接应用于农业问题， 确定遗传上优良的上级幼苗是否可以 通过人工授粉， 大量的花粉来自一大群供体植物。 还将讨论有关 野生植物的繁殖生态学，应该保护 作为基因"文库"的潜在作用。 有用的遗传 这种野生木槿的变异最终会被引入 相关物种，如栽培木槿，棉花，秋葵， 和红麻，以提高其活力和产量。

Research will focus on the causes of variation in the number of seeds that a plant produces by donating pollen to other individuals. Preliminary studies of rose mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) showed that 1) pollen tubes, which carry paternal genes to the ovary, often compete for ovules within a flower, and 2) some individuals have faster growing pollen tubes than others. These differences among individuals are probably important in determining which plants sire the most seeds in natural populations. The investigators will examine the relative importance of genetic vs. environmental effects on pollen performance. They will also test the hypothesis that pollen tube growth rates are positively correlated with seedling growth rates. Results can be directly applied to agricultural problems by determining whether genetically superior seedlings can be artificially selected by hand-pollinating flowers with large amounts of pollen from a large group of donor plants. Fundamental questions will also be addressed about the reproductive ecology of wild plants, which should be conserved for their potential role as genetic "libraries". Useful genetic variation in this wild hibiscus could eventually be introduced into related species, such as cultivated hibiscus, cotton, okra, and kenaf, to improve their vigor and yield.