Dissertation Research: Population Genetics and Historical Biogeography of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh.

随着人类不断干扰环境，他们不仅影响植物和动物物种的分布，而且影响这些物种中个体的分布（从而影响其基因组）。 许多“杂草”物种经常会被人类有意或无意地长距离迁移，因此了解人类活动对特定物种基因库的影响程度非常重要。 早期的研究表明，植物模式生物塔勒（Arabidopsis thaliana）的基因组在欧洲可能是地理上的洗牌，这是一个人类活动水平相对较高的地区，但在中亚的地理结构中，人类活动水平相对较低。 这项研究将通过对遗传变异进行分型来识别不同的拟南芥基因组，并将研究这些基因组的地理位置，以了解自然和人类对其基因库的影响。 自然影响包括更新世冰川进退期间拟南芥活动范围的缩小和扩大;人类影响包括上述人为运动。 这项研究的更广泛影响将包括强调人类活动对其他物种的影响程度，这是我们继续深刻改变环境的一个关键问题。 这项研究还将通过确定其基因库受人类影响最小的地理区域，并将这些区域的种子提供给全球研究界，来增强拟南芥作为模式生物的能力。

As human beings continue to disturb their environments, they impact not only the distribution of plant and animal species, but also the distribution of individuals (and thus their genomes) within these species. Many "weedy" species can frequently be moved long distances intentionally or unintentionally by humans, and it is important to understand the extent to which human activity can shuffle the gene pool of a given species. Earlier studies have shown that genomes in the plant model organism thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana) may be geographically shuffled in Europe, an area experiencing relatively high levels of human activity, but geographically structured in central Asia, with relatively low levels of human activity. This study will identify different Arabidopsis thaliana genomes by typing genetic variation, and will examine the geographic location of these genomes in order to understand both natural and human impacts on its gene pool. Natural impacts include the contraction and expansion of Arabidopsis thaliana's range during the advance and retreat of Pleistocene glaciers; human impacts include the human caused movement described above. Broader impacts of this study will include highlighting the extent to which human activities can affect other species, a critical issue as we continue to profoundly alter environments. This study will also enhance Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism by identifying geographic areas in which its gene pool has been minimally impacted by humans, and providing seed from these areas to the global research community.