Multi-User Controlled Environments for Plant Growth in the Division of Biology

该项目旨在为诺克斯维尔田纳西大学生物系的植物材料生长建造一个多用户设施。主要目标是在严格控制光照强度、光照质量、温度和湿度的环境条件下种植植物进行实验。为了反映动物系统的类似发展，选择了一小部分植物物种来代表植物界作为研究目的的模型。这个由一名首席调查员(PI)和四名Co-PI组成的小组使用拟南芥作为被子植物的模型，松树作为裸子植物和树木的模型，Ceratopteris作为代表低等植物的模式蕨类，大豆和莲花作为高等植物与固氮菌之间相互作用的模型。为了充分利用它们的模式特征，需要为每个物种建立最佳但不同的生长条件。五个(共同)绩效指标和另外两个主要用户建议，生物司对植物生长的多样化和不断扩大的要求最好是由一个合作管理的多用户设施来满足。植物生长设施(PGF)将由一个核心植物生长单元组成，该单元将包括两个步入式生长室、六个伸缩式生长室和两个组织培养孵化器，所有这些都配备了微处理器控制光和温度条件。PGF将优化所有使用的模式生物的生长条件。新设施将位于中心位置，主要用户很容易到达。将制定一种合作的管理方式，确保研究人员在个案的基础上使用五个(Co)PIs以外的部分设施。PGF将作为我们跨部门植物科学研究生培训计划的关键支持。除了大幅改善我们的研究基础设施外，PGF还将允许(联合)PI活跃他们在本科生水平的教学计划，例如通过设计一个将植物进化带入课堂的实验。在建立PGF时，(Co)PIs寻求为高效和可再生的植物材料培养创造一个多用途的环境，这将满足他们多样化和多学科的研究方法和教学义务。

This project is designed to build a multi-user facility for the growth of plant material in the Division of Biology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. The primary goal is to grow plants for experimentation under tightly controlled environmental conditions with respect to light intensity, light quality, temperature, and humidity. Reflecting similar developments in animal systems, a small number of plant species have been selected to represent the plant kingdom as models for research purposes. This group of one principal investigator (PI) and four Co-PIs employs Arabidopsis as a model angiosperm, Pinus as a model for both gymnosperms and trees, Ceratopteris as a model fern, representing lower plants, and soybean and Lotus japonicus as models for the interaction between higher plants and nitrogen fixing bacteria. To take full advantage of their model characters, optimal but distinct growth conditions need to be established for each species. The five (Co- )PIs and two additional major users propose that the diverse and expanding requirements for plant growth in the Division of Biology are best accommodated by a cooperatively administered multi-user facility. The plant growth facility (PGF) will consist of a core plant growth unit which will comprise two walk-in growth chambers, six reach-in growth chambers, and two tissue culture incubators, all fitted with microprocessor control over light and temperature conditions. The PGF will optimize the growth conditions for all the model organisms used. The new facility will be centrally located and within easy reach of the major users. A cooperative style of management will be devised, which shall ensure access to part of the facility for researchers other than the five (Co) PIs on a case by case basis. The PGF will serve as a crucial support for our interdepartmental plant science graduate training program. Apart from drastically improving our research infrastructure, the PGF will allow the (Co-)PIs to enliven their teaching programs at the undergraduate level, for instance by devising an experiment that will bring plant evolution into the classroom. In building the PGF, the (Co) PIs seek to create a multi-purpose environment for the efficient and reproducible culture of plant material, which will satisfy their diverse and multidisciplinary research approaches and teaching obligations.