MRI: Acquisition of a seed x-ray machine

芝加哥植物园将获得一台种子X光机，以推进其种子/生殖生物学实验室的研究。该实验室是处理，测试，储存，遗传分析和发芽种子的中心，支持研究和保护工作，以及从中学到博士课程的教育计划。与种子相关的研究福尔斯分为三大类：生态和恢复研究、迁地保护方法研究和园艺研究。增加一个X射线柜将服务于所有三个领域的研究计划，大大扩大了实验室的分析能力。该花园的研究包括小的，分散的种群的生物学;稀有和入侵植物物种的遗传学和人口统计学;植物对气候变化和生态系统管理的反应;以及种群中分子遗传多样性的空间和时间模式。该园还在进行恢复遗传学研究，以解决种子转移区的划定以及种子储存和生态恢复过程中的遗传侵蚀问题。该花园是美国本土种子库计划"成功种子"的创始合作伙伴，并与皇家植物园、基尤和美国农业部国家遗传资源保护中心合作，为其狄克逊国家高草草原种子库提供冗余储存，该种子库目前拥有1600多个野生收集的，本地物种，并将最终保持整个中西部植物群（约3000种）的多个种群的样本。狄克逊种子库还拥有我们为植物保护中心（CPC）策划的12种全球稀有物种的多个品种。此外，花园进行多年生植物育种研究，以开发适应美国中西部条件的景观植物。还进行研究，以评估植物引进芝加哥地区的入侵潜力。到目前为止，研究已经检查了可能入侵的观赏类群的繁殖力和种子活力，对苗圃业和家庭园丁有影响，为种子/生殖生物学实验室购买额外的设备将导致种子研究的数量和多样性的增加，这些研究的应用范围超出了花园。全球濒危植物类群和高草草原生态系统的整个植物群的种子库对整个社会都有好处。种子库是一个遗传安全网，防止野生种群灭绝和减轻遗传侵蚀。花园的几项研究涉及恢复遗传学和种子转移区的发展。包括土地管理局、美国农业部林务局和芝加哥荒野保护局在内的联邦、州和地区机构合作伙伴正在实施花园在各种大型恢复项目中制定的种子转移指南。我们的研究成果不仅将传播给科学界、保护界和园艺界，还将通过我们的现场科学解读，传播给广大公众（每年访问人数超过900 000）、会员出版物（发送到48岁以上，000名成员）和网站，每年收到超过1900万次点击。花园有一个全面的教育计划，在植物保护生物学，在我们的大学和科学第一计划中为初中和高中学生提供服务，并举办了几次实习，包括NSF-REU（本科生研究经验）计划。该花园还为硕士课程的研究生提供服务，与西北大学和博士合作。西北大学和伊利诺伊大学芝加哥分校的课程。此外，亦透过工作坊、短期课程及持续教育课程，提供有关保育的专业训练。也许最重要的是，种子x射线设备将满足国家基础设施的需求。目前，类似的实验室主要限于美国农业部在柯林斯堡，CO，贝尔茨维尔，MD，哥伦布，OH和其他一些种质资源库的设施。美国农业部的设施几乎完全集中在农作物、农作物近缘植物和观赏植物上。该花园拟议的种子储存和研究设施将在芝加哥和上中西部建立急需的能力，为本土植物（包括那些稀有植物）进行种子相关研究和种质保存。

The Chicago Botanic Garden will acquire a seed x-ray machine to advance research in its seed/reproductive biology laboratory. A center for processing, testing, storing, genetically analyzing, and germinating seeds, this laboratory supports research and conservation efforts, as well as educational programs spanning from middle school through PhD programs. The Garden's seed-related research falls into three broad categories: ecological and restoration research, research on ex situ (off site) conservation methods, and horticultural research. Addition of an x-ray cabinet will serve research programs in all three areas by greatly expanding the lab's analytical capabilities. The Garden's studies encompass the biology of small, fragmented populations; the genetics and demography of both rare and invasive plant species; plant responses to climate change and to ecosystem management; and spatial and temporal patterns of molecular genetic diversity in populations. The Garden is also conducting restoration genetics studies that address seed transfer zone delineation and genetic erosion during seed storage and the process of ecological restoration. The Garden is a founding partner in Seeds of Success, the US native seed banking program, and partners with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and USDA National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation to provide redundant storage for its Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank which currently holds over 1600 wild-collected, native species and will ultimately hold samples from multiple populations of the entire Midwestern flora (approximately 3000 species). The Dixon seed bank also holds multiple accessions of the twelve globally rare species we curate for the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC). Additionally, the Garden conducts research on perennial plant breeding to develop landscape plants adapted to the conditions of the Midwestern U.S. Research to assess the invasive potential of plant introductions to the Chicago region is also conducted. To date studies have examined fecundity and seed viability of potentially invasive ornamental taxa, having implications for the nursery industry and home gardeners.The acquisition of additional equipment for the seed/reproductive biology laboratory will result in an increase of the number and diversity of seed studies undertaken which have applications beyond the Garden. Seed banking of globally imperiled plant taxa and of the entire flora of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem benefits society at large. The seed bank serves as a genetic safety net, preventing extinction and mitigating against genetic erosion in wild populations. Several studies at the Garden address restoration genetics and the development of seed transfer zones. Federal, state and regional agency partners including the Bureau of Land Management, the USDA Forest Service, and Chicago Wilderness are implementing the seed transfer guidelines that the Garden develops in a variety of large-scale restoration projects. The results of our research will be disseminated not only to the scientific, conservation, and horticultural communities, but also to the general public through our on-site scientific interpretation (reaching over 900,000 visitors per year), membership publications (sent to over 48,000 members) and Web site that receives over 19 million hits per year.The Garden has a comprehensive education program in plant conservation biology, serving middle and high school students in our College and Science First programs and hosting several internships including an NSF-REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program. The Garden also serves graduate students in a Master's program in partnership with Northwestern University and Ph.D. programs with both Northwestern University and University of Illinois Chicago. Professional training in conservation through workshops, short courses and continuing education classes are also offered. Perhaps most importantly, the seed x-ray equipment will fill a national infrastructure need. Currently, similar laboratories are primarily limited to U.S.D.A facilities in Fort Collins, CO, Beltsville, MD, Columbus, OH and a few other germplasm repository sites. The U.S.D.A. facilities focus almost exclusively on crops, crop relatives and ornamental plants. The Garden's proposed seed storage and research facility will build much-needed capacity in Chicago and the upper Midwest to conduct seed related research and germplasm preservation for native plants, including those that are rare.