Dissertation Research: Partner Variability and Fitness in a Legume-Rhizobium Mutualism

论文研究：豆科植物-根瘤菌互惠关系中的伙伴变异性和适应性

基本信息

批准号：
0508305
负责人：
Peter Tiffin
金额：
$ 0.99万
依托单位：
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2005
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2005-06-15 至 2007-05-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0508305&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Dissertation Research Partner Variability Fitness

项目摘要

Biological mutualisms are interactions between species in which both species benefit. These interactions are ubiquitous in nature. One of the best studied and economically important of these mutualisms occurs between legume plants and rhizobial bacteria, a mutualism in which plants provide food and shelter to the bacteria and the bacteria provide nitrogen to the plant. Little is known, however, about the evolutionary forces that maintain cooperation between these partners. This project will investigate coevolution between the model plant Medicago truncatula and its symbiotic bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti. Manipulative greenhouse experiments will be used to study the effects of symbiosis on the reproductive success of both partners. These data will allow us to determine if mutualisms are optimally beneficial for both parties or fluctuate between being beneficial and parasitic.This research will advance our knowledge of how mutualisms evolve in nature as well as contribute to an understanding of basic evolutionary processes. This knowledge will increase our ability to manage mutualistic interactions, as they often play important roles in both crop production and ecosystem restoration. Moreover, insight into these relationships will improve our understanding of the effects natural and anthropogenic changes in environmental conditions have on mutualism stability.

生物互助是两种物种受益的物种之间的相互作用。这些相互作用本质上是无处不在的。这些互助主义中最重要的研究和经济上重要的是豆科植物和根瘤菌细菌之间，这是一种互助，植物为细菌提供食物和庇护所，细菌为植物提供氮。然而，关于维持这些伴侣之间合作的进化力量知之甚少。该项目将研究模型植物Medicago truncatula及其共生细菌Meliloti之间的共同进化。操纵温室实验将用于研究共生对双方生殖成功的影响。这些数据将使我们能够确定互惠对双方的最佳有益还是在受益和寄生之间波动。这项研究将促进我们对互惠性在自然界的发展以及对基本进化过程的理解的认识。这些知识将增加我们管理共同互动的能力，因为它们通常在作物生产和生态系统恢复中起重要作用。此外，对这些关系的洞察力将改善我们对环境条件上自然和人为变化对互惠稳定的影响的理解。