Acquisition of a Seed Biology Laboratory

在Kayri Havens博士的指导下，芝加哥植物园获得了一笔赠款，用于部分支持一个最先进的种子生物学实验室，用于加工、储存、遗传分析和种子发芽。 该实验室将满足国家基础设施的需要。目前，类似的综合实验室几乎只专注于作物、作物近缘植物和观赏植物。 该植物园的种子储存和研究设施将在上中西部建立急需的能力，为本土植物（包括那些受到威胁和濒危的植物）进行种子相关的研究和种质保存，并评估新的观赏植物引入芝加哥地区的入侵潜力。该实验室将支持目前与种子相关的研究和恢复生态学，迁地保护方法和园艺。 此外，新设备将大大提高本科生和研究生参与花园的REU计划，与洛约拉大学的植物保护证书计划，与西北大学的联合硕士课程，以及与伊利诺伊大学芝加哥共同建议的博士生的经验。进行的种子研究的数量和多样性，其中大部分应用超出了花园，将大幅增加。 全球濒危植物类群和高草草原生态系统的整个植物群的种子库有利于整个社会，并作为一个遗传安全网，防止灭绝和减轻对野生种群的遗传侵蚀。 几个花园研究解决恢复遗传学和种子转移区的发展。 联邦、州和地区机构合作伙伴计划实施在各种大规模恢复项目中制定的种子转移准则。 研究成果将通过现场科学解释、会员出版物和花园网站向科学、保护和园艺界以及公众传播。

A grant has been awarded to the Chicago Botanic Gardens under the direction of Dr. Kayri Havens for partial support of a state-of-the-art Seed Biology Laboratory for processing, storing, genetically analyzing, and germinating seeds. The Laboratory will fill a national infrastructure need. Currently, similar comprehensive laboratories focus almost exclusively on crops, crop relatives and ornamental plants. The Garden's seed storage and research facility will build much-needed capacity in the upper Midwest to conduct seed related research and germplasm preservation for native plants (including those that are threatened and endangered) and assesses the invasive potential of new ornamental plant introductions to the Chicago region.The Laboratory will support current seed-related research and restoration ecology, ex situ conservation methods, and horticulture. In addition, the new equipment will dramatically enhance the experience of undergraduate and graduate students involved in the Garden's REU program, Plant Conservation Certificate program with Loyola University, joint Master's program with Northwestern University, and doctoral students co-advised with University of Illinois Chicago.The number and diversity of seed studies undertaken, most of which have applications beyond the Garden, will be substantially increased. Seed banking of globally imperiled plant taxa and of the entire flora of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem benefits society at large and serves as a genetic safety net, preventing extinction and mitigating against genetic erosion in wild populations. Several Garden studies address restoration genetics and the development of seed transfer zones. Federal, state and regional agency partners plan to implement the seed transfer guidelines developed in a variety of large-scale restoration projects. Research results will be disseminated to scientific, conservation, and horticultural communities and to the general public through on-site scientific interpretation, membership publications, and the Garden's web site.