Ecological Aspects of Plant Selenium Hyperaccumulation: Below and Beyond

植物硒超富集的生态学方面：低于和超越

• 批准号: 0817748
• 负责人: Elizabeth Pilon-Smits
• 金额: $ 42.4万
• 依托单位: Colorado State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0817748&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Ecological; Aspects; Plant; Selenium; Hyperaccumulation

IOS-0817748 PI: Elizabeth Pilon-SmitsEcological aspects of plant selenium hyperaccumulation - below and beyondThe element selenium (Se) is essential for many organisms. Dietary Se can boost the immune system and prevent cancer and bacterial and viral infections including HIV. On the other hand, Se is toxic at higher levels and Se is a serious environmental pollutant worldwide. Some plants native to the Western U.S., commonly called ?locoweeds?, hyperaccumulate Se up to 1 percent of their dry weight. The investigators propose that these plants hyperaccumulate Se as a defense compound against herbivory and microbial infection, and are interested in the effects of the accumulated Se on the ecological interactions of hyperaccumulators. Over the past three years they have discovered that Se accumulation protects plants from a variety of herbivores, due to both deterrence and toxicity. At the same time, several Se-tolerant specialist herbivores were found to feed on hyperaccumulators, and to accumulate fairly high Se levels. Continued studies will investigate how the Se in hyperaccumulators affects ecological interactions in their local ecosystem, going "below and beyond" what has been discovered so far. More specifically, effects of accumulated root Se on root-zone interactions of hyperaccumulator plants with neighboring plants, root-associated invertebrates, and root-associated microbes will be examined. Beyond the direct plant-herbivore or plant-microbe interactions, the researchers will investigate the effects of Se accumulation by specialist herbivores or microbes on the ecological interactions of these specialists that may further mobilize Se into the food chain. The findings from this project should have broad implications, and applications in medicine and agriculture. The effects of hyperaccumulation of Se on herbivores and other ecological partners are probably similar for other toxic metals and metalloids. Understanding the movements of hyperaccumulated elements in the food chain will be critical to the practices of phytoremediation (environmental cleanup using plants) and of cultivating element-fortified foods with health-benefiting properties. In addition, knowledge of how plant Se accumulation affects growth and survival of pathogens or herbivores, and identification of specialist Se-tolerant pathogens or herbivores may be used to both control plant pests and Se-hyperaccumulating noxious weeds.

IOS-0817748 PI：Elizabeth Pilon-Smits植物硒超积累的生态方面-低于和超出元素硒（Se）对许多生物体来说是必需的。膳食硒可以增强免疫系统，预防癌症和细菌和病毒感染，包括艾滋病毒。另一方面，硒在较高水平下是有毒的，并且硒是世界范围内严重的环境污染物。 一些原产于美国西部的植物，通常称为？疯草？超积累硒可达干重的1%。研究人员提出，这些植物超积累硒作为防御化合物对草食动物和微生物的感染，并有兴趣在积累的硒的生态相互作用的hyperplasia的影响。在过去的三年里，他们发现硒的积累可以保护植物免受各种食草动物的伤害，这是由于威慑和毒性。 与此同时，一些耐硒的专业食草动物被发现以高硒为食，并积累了相当高的硒水平。继续的研究将调查高硒如何影响当地生态系统中的生态相互作用，“低于和超过”迄今为止发现的。更具体地说，积累根硒超富集植物与邻近植物，根相关的无脊椎动物，根相关的微生物的根区相互作用的影响将被检查。除了直接的植物-食草动物或植物-微生物相互作用之外，研究人员还将研究专门的食草动物或微生物积累硒对这些专家的生态相互作用的影响，这些专家可能会进一步将硒动员到食物链中。该项目的发现应该具有广泛的影响，并在医学和农业中应用。硒的超积累对食草动物和其他生态伙伴的影响可能是类似的其他有毒金属和类金属。了解超积累元素在食物链中的运动对于植物修复（使用植物进行环境清理）和培育具有健康益处的元素强化食品的实践至关重要。此外，植物硒积累如何影响病原体或食草动物的生长和存活的知识，以及鉴定专门的耐硒病原体或食草动物，可用于控制植物害虫和硒超积累的有毒杂草。