Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY2006

本项目为2006年度少数民族博士后科研资助项目。虽然入侵物种的影响已经相对为人所知，但导致这些影响的机制还不清楚。土壤微生物功能可以调节入侵植物对生态系统的影响，因为微生物在植物养分吸收，特别是氮循环中起着关键作用。然而，这种植物与微生物的相互作用很少在入侵物种的背景下进行探索。入侵植物产生大量的凋落物，这些凋落物可以为微生物提供燃料，从而影响它们所承担的生态系统功能。此外，一些入侵植物杂交产生的基因型比亲本更具侵略性。然而，不同入侵基因型之间的相关性及其对生态系统过程的影响尚未得到探讨。在本项目中，我研究了具有杂交能力的入侵植物Typha对植物入侵成功与营养动态之间关系的影响。具体来说，我探讨了原生植被区土壤微生物群落的特性和多样性是否与台风侵袭区不同，以及这些微生物差异是否反过来介导了氮循环。最后，我讨论了入侵植物物种的基因组成如何影响土壤微生物群落及其执行的养分循环功能。将入侵物种与其影响及其影响背后的机制联系起来，将提高我们对生态系统的理解，并有助于在更多应用场景中产生更明智的管理实践。这项工作将在芝加哥洛约拉大学南希·塔奇曼博士的指导下完成。拟议的项目将为我提供两个生态学领域的机会，这将极大地丰富我的培训并促进我的职业发展：1)在生态系统层面解决生态问题，2)将分子成分整合到生态研究中。我的目标是接受训练，将分子微生物方法纳入生态研究，解决生态系统层面的问题。具体来说，我的培训目标是：1)熟悉生态系统水平的营养循环过程，2)探索使用功能基因和DNA微阵列解决微生物多样性和身份的技术。我相信，通过分子技术将土壤微生物特性与微生物生态系统功能相结合是最有前途的研究领域之一，它将为回答紧迫的生态问题提供强有力的概念框架。作为一名西班牙裔女性，我希望激励其他西班牙裔女性从事科学事业。

This project is awarded under the Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and Supporting Activities Program for 2006. Although the impacts of invasive species have been relatively well known, the mechanisms that result in those impacts have not. Soil microbial function could mediate the effect of invasive plants on ecosystems because microbes play key roles in plant nutrient uptake, particularly concerning the nitrogen cycle. However, such plant-microbe interactions have rarely been explored in the context of invasive species. Invasive plants produce large amounts of litter that can fuel microbes and thus affect the ecosystem functions they undertake. Furthermore, several invasive plants hybridize yielding genotypes that are more aggressive invaders than either parent. Yet correlations between different invasive genotypes and their effects on ecosystem processes have not been explored. In this project, I address the effect of Typha, an invasive plant capable of hybridizing, on the relationship between plant invasion success and nutrient dynamics. Specifically, I explore if the identity and diversity of soil microbial communities in areas with native vegetation are different from the ones in Typha-invaded zones, and if these microbial differences in turn mediate nitrogen cycling. Lastly, I address how the genetic makeup of the invading plant species affects soil microbial communities and the nutrient cycling functions they perform. Linking an invasive species with its impact and the mechanisms behind such impact will improve our understanding of ecological systems and also aid in generating better-informed management practices in more applied scenarios. This work will be done at Loyola University Chicago under the mentorship of Dr. Nancy Tuchman.The proposed project will provide me with exposure in two areas of ecology that will greatly diversify my training and enhance my career development: 1) addressing ecological questions at the ecosystem level, and 2) integrating a molecular component into ecological research. My goal is to become trained in the incorporation of molecular microbial methods into ecological research that addresses ecosystem-level questions. Specifically, my training goals are: 1) to become familiar with nutrient cycling processes at the ecosystem level, and 2) to explore techniques to address microbial diversity and identity using functional genes and DNA microarrays. I believe the integration of soil microbial identity through molecular techniques with microbial ecosystem function to be one of the most promising research venues that will provide a strong conceptual framework to answer pressing ecological questions. As a Hispanic female I hope to inspire other Hispanic women to undertake a career in science.