U.S.-Costa Rica Collaboration -- Ecological and Genetic Effects on the Breakdown of Self-incompatibility

这个美洲项目奖将支持缅因州科尔比学院的朱迪·L·斯通博士与哥斯达黎加圣佩德罗哥斯达黎加大学的Oscar J.Rocha-Nunez博士和Paul Hanson博士开展研究合作。研究人员打算调查遗传和生态因素对自花受精进化的影响，自花受精是开花植物最常见的进化转变之一。合作者建议扩大自交亲和和自交不亲和植物系统的知识库，这些系统在模拟自交受精的进化过程中非常重要，并最终对影响交配系统选择的遗传和生态因素做出贡献。合作者将为该项目带来互补的技能，使他们能够整合实地的生态过程、模型的理论预测以及感兴趣基因的变化模式。斯通擅长对控制自花授粉的基因进行测序，并将遗传水平的变化与自花授粉能力的变化联系起来；罗查在自然环境下植物自花受精的研究方面拥有专长，而汉森需要昆虫方面的专业知识来确定昆虫传粉者的差异将如何影响自花授粉的程度。此外，该项目将帮助支持四名来自美国的本科生的参与。

0305459StoneThis Americas Program award will support Dr. Judy L. Stone of Colby College, Maine in a research collaboration with Dr. Oscar J. Rocha-Nunez and Dr. Paul Hanson of the Universidad de Costa Rica in San Pedro, Costa Rica. The researchers intend to investigate genetic and ecological forces acting on the evolution of self-fertilization, one of the most common evolutionary transitions in flowering plants. The collaborators propose to expand the knowledge base of self-compatible and self-incompatible plant systems that are important in modeling the evolution of self-fertilization and, ultimately, make contributions to the genetic and ecological factors influencing selection in mating systems. The collaborators will bring complementary skills to the project that will allow them to integrate ecological processes in the field, theoretical predictions of models, and patterns of change for the genes of interest. Stone has expertise in sequencing the gene that controls self-fertilization and in relating changes at the genetic level to changes in ability to self-fertilize, Rocha has expertise in the study of self-fertilization in plants in their natural settings, and Hanson's expertise with insects is needed to determine how differences in insect pollinators will affect the degree of self-fertilization. In addition, the project will help to support the involvement of four undergraduate students from the United States.?????