CAREER -- Clover cyanogenesis: Integrating ecological and molecular genetics in the study of adaptation

职业生涯——三叶草氰化：将生态和分子遗传学整合到适应研究中

• 批准号: 0845497
• 负责人: Kenneth Olsen
• 金额: $ 91.55万
• 依托单位: Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-01 至 2014-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0845497&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Clover; cyanogenesis; Integrating; ecological

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Understanding how species adapt to local climates is critical for predicting how global climate change will affect species distributions and their ecological interactions. This research examines the genetic and ecological processes that determine patterns of cyanogenesis (cyanide release with tissue damage) in white clover populations across North America. Cyanogenesis protects plants against small herbivores; however, cyanogenic compounds are energetically expensive and come at a cost of decreased growth and reproduction. The research will employ DNA sequencing, greenhouse- and field-experiments to determine whether the cyanogenic and acyanogenic forms can arise multiple times independently, or whether cyanogenesis represents ancient genetic variation maintained through natural selection. Because white clover occurs in school lawns across North America, this system is easily adapted to the high school Biology classroom, where it can serve as a hands-on tool for understanding the connection between genetics, physiology, and ecology. This project will use a multifaceted approach to develop science educational resources: 1) summer lab internships for high school Biology teachers, where they will receive hands-on scientific training; 2) dissemination of classroom lab kits to high school teachers nationwide, where they and their students will collect cyanogenesis data from local clover populations; and 3) web-based resources where students around the country will contribute and analyze data addressing research questions on clover cyanogenesis and climatic adaptation.

该奖项由2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助。了解物种如何适应当地气候对于预测全球气候变化将如何影响物种分布及其生态相互作用至关重要。 本研究探讨了遗传和生态过程，确定模式的氰化物（氰化物释放与组织损伤）在白色三叶草人口在北美。 氰生成保护植物免受小型食草动物的侵害;然而，氰化合物在能量上是昂贵的，并且以降低生长和繁殖为代价。 该研究将采用DNA测序、温室和田间实验来确定生氰和非生氰形式是否可以独立出现多次，或者生氰是否代表通过自然选择维持的古老遗传变异。因为白色三叶草出现在北美的学校草坪上，这个系统很容易适应高中生物课堂，在那里它可以作为一个动手工具，了解遗传学，生理学和生态学之间的联系。该项目将采用多方面的方法来开发科学教育资源：1）高中生物教师的暑期实验室实习，他们将在那里接受实践科学培训; 2）向全国高中教师分发课堂实验室工具包，他们和他们的学生将从当地三叶草种群中收集氰生成数据;以及3）基于网络的资源，全国各地的学生将贡献和分析数据，解决三叶草氰化和气候适应的研究问题。