DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The evolution of leaf developmental genetics in carnivorous pitcher plants

肉食性猪笼草是适应贫瘠土壤的一个迷人的例子。值得注意的是，猪笼虫陷阱在植物中独立进化了三次。猪笼草是如何从一片平坦的叶子进化而来的？投手的每一次进化都涉及相同的基因变化，还是它们代表了制造相似结构的完全不同的方式？为了解决这些问题，本研究将应用来自模式植物的遗传发现来检验对肉食性猪笼草从扁平叶子进化而来的遗传变化负责的假设。本研究将评估已知参与叶片形成的基因的表达模式和沉默，并比较它们在三组猪笼草中的作用。本研究将为不同背景的高中生和大学生提供研究性训练。此外，这些植物激发公众兴趣的能力将有助于通过各种媒体形式传播科学原理和本研究的结果。这项研究可能对生物技术的应用有好处。为猪笼草叶片发育的研究提出了一种沉默基因的方法，这将有助于推进蛋白质收获技术和重要农艺植物的基因发现。

Carnivorous pitcher plants are a fascinating example of adaptation to nutrient-poor soils. Remarkably, the pitcher insect trap evolved three times independently in plants. How did the pitcher evolve from a flat leaf? Did each separate evolution of the pitcher involve the same genetic changes, or do they represent completely different ways of making a similar structure? To address these questions, this study will apply genetic findings from model plants to test hypotheses of the genetic changes responsible for the evolution of the carnivorous pitcher from a flat leaf. This research will evaluate expression patterns and silencing of genes known to be involved in leaf formation and compare their role in the three groups of pitcher plants.This research will provide research-based training for high school and undergraduate students with diverse backgrounds. Furthermore, the ability of these plants to excite public interest will aid in the communication of both scientific principles and the findings of this study through various media formats. This study has possible benefits for the application of biotechnology. The establishment of a method for silencing genes, as proposed for the study of leaf development in pitcher plants, could help advance protein harvesting technology and gene discovery in plants of agronomic importance.