DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Assessing the Biological Relevance of Environmental Variation: How Does Heterogeneity Influence Adaptation and Phenotypic Plasticity in an Invasive Plant?

论文研究：评估环境变化的生物学相关性：异质性如何影响入侵植物的适应和表型可塑性？

• 批准号: 0710412
• 负责人: Maureen Stanton
• 金额: $ 1.1万
• 依托单位: University of California-Davis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-07-01 至 2008-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0710412&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Assessing; Biological; Relevance

Plant distributions are, in part, determined by underlying patterns of variation in the environment. Adaptation of plant species to unique environments, such as harsh soil chemistry, has been demonstrated in several natural systems. Despite these examples plant adaptation to local environmental conditions appears to be rare relative to the more common alternative to adaptation, flexible trait expression. This research will document patterns of variation in soil chemistry in a unique and threatened natural system, serpentine soils in Northern California. When combined with extensive field experiments on the invasive plant species, Erodium cicutarium, this research will provide a novel insight into how patterns of variation in environmental factors drive plant adaptation to novel environments. Serpentine soils provide a unique environment, which supports many endemic plant species and provides a refuge for other native plant species excluded from their former habitats by invasives. This research will support the continued conservation of these important and threatened habitats by both improving the understanding of how invasive plant species encroach upon serpentine soils and making data obtained widely available to other scientists conducting research in this threatened habitat. Additionally, this research has incorporated the participation of undergraduates from diverse socio-economic backgrounds. Undergraduates have participated in this research as research assistants and by conducting award winning independent experiments.

在某种程度上，植物分布是由环境变化的基本模式决定的。植物物种对特殊环境的适应，如恶劣的土壤化学，已经在几个自然系统中得到证明。尽管有这些例子，植物对当地环境条件的适应似乎是罕见的，相对于更常见的适应选择，灵活的性状表达。这项研究将记录在一个独特的和受威胁的自然系统，蛇纹石土壤在北加州土壤化学变化的模式。结合对入侵植物Erodium cicutarium的大量野外实验，本研究将为环境因子变化模式如何驱动植物适应新环境提供新的见解。蛇形土壤提供了一个独特的环境，为许多特有植物物种提供了支持，并为其他因入侵而被排除在其原有栖息地之外的本地植物物种提供了避难所。这项研究将通过提高对入侵植物物种如何入侵蛇形土壤的理解，并为其他科学家在这一受威胁的栖息地进行研究提供广泛的数据，从而支持这些重要和受威胁的栖息地的持续保护。此外，本研究纳入了来自不同社会经济背景的本科生的参与。本科生作为研究助理参与了这项研究，并进行了屡获殊荣的独立实验。