Collaborative Research: RUI: Testing Mutualism Theory using Endophytic Fungi and Their Host Grass

这个项目的主要目标是确定草和它们的真菌共生体之间的相互作用是否遵循互惠共生理论的预测。为了实现这一目标，研究人员将确定无性真菌共生体是否比有性共生体更具互惠性。这两种植物都可以生活在加拿大的野生黑麦草中。有性和无性共生体将通过生物碱的产生为宿主提供食草动物抵抗力的数量进行评估。该项目将使用分子遗传和分析化学方法来评估负责生物碱产生的真菌基因的调控和表达。为了补充这些生理学方法，研究人员将确定从德克萨斯州到明尼苏达州的广泛地理范围内加拿大野生黑麦及其无性和有性共生体种群的遗传多样性程度。此外，还将进行田间和中观实验，以确定内生菌如何在生态系统水平上影响植物的适合性。该项目将有助于共生和社区生态学领域，并将培训26名本科生，其中约30%将来自通常在科学、技术、工程和数学领域代表性较低的群体。学生将作为一个多学科团队的一部分，学习制定假设，设计和进行实验，分析数据，并报告他们的发现。希望学院的实验室和印第安纳大学科科莫分校之间的合作将通过联合年度会议来促进。拟议研究的影响将通过在生态同行评议期刊上发表科学发现和在国家科学会议上发表报告来扩大。此外，通过这项研究收集的基础科学知识将有助于了解和管理饲草内生真菌，因为生物碱对牲畜的有害影响可能会造成相当大的经济损失。

The primary goal of this project is to determine if the interaction between grasses and their fungal symbionts follows predictions from mutualism theory. To accomplish this goal, the investigators will determine if an asexual fungal symbiont is a stronger mutualist than a sexual one. Both can live within Canada wild rye grass. The sexual and asexual symbionts will be assessed for the amount of herbivore resistance they provide to their host through alkaloid production. The project will employ molecular genetic and analytical chemistry approaches to assess the regulation and expression of the fungal genes responsible for alkaloid production. To complement these physiological approaches, the investigators will determine the degree of genetic diversity in populations of Canada wild rye and its asexual and sexual symbionts across a broad geographic range, from Texas to Minnesota. Furthermore, field and mesocosm experiments will be performed to determine how endophytes affect plant fitness within an ecosystem level context. The project will contribute to the fields of symbiosis and community ecology as well as result in the training of 26 undergraduate students, approximately 30% of whom will be from groups typically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Students will work as part of a multidisciplinary team, learning to develop hypotheses, design and conduct experiments, analyze data, and report their findings. Collaboration between the labs at Hope College and Indiana University-Kokomo will be fostered through joint annual meetings. The impact of the proposed research will be extended by publishing the scientific findings in ecological peer-reviewed journals and by presentations at national scientific meetings. Moreover, basic scientific knowledge gathered through this research will contribute to the understanding and management of fungal endophytes in forage grasses, where they can cause considerable economic loss due to harmful effects of alkaloids on livestock.