CAREER: Integrating biochemical, physiological and morphological responses of plants to changes in water availability

职业：整合植物对可用水量变化的生化、生理和形态反应

• 批准号: 1256827
• 负责人: Jennifer Funk
• 金额: $ 61.32万
• 依托单位: Chapman University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-06-01 至 2019-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1256827&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Integrating; biochemical; physiological; morphological

This research addresses how leaf, stem and root traits collectively influence organismal responses to different precipitation scenarios across multiple species in a Mediterranean-climate ecosystem. Precipitation in arid and semi-arid environments can vary strongly within and across years and plant fitness can depend on rapid or efficient utilization of water during these events. Plant species adapted to arid systems possess numerous leaf, stem and root traits that serve to minimize water stress, but it remains unclear whether these water conservation traits limit a plant's ability to rapidly respond to precipitation events and how water acquisition and conservation traits correspond to plant fitness. The proposed research is organized around two questions: (1) is there a trade-off between the ability to respond to sudden changes in water availability and a water conservation strategy, and (2) how do traits pertaining to water acquisition and conservation correlate with plant fitness and how does this depend on the magnitude and frequency of precipitation? These questions will be examined in four annual and six perennial species from a southern California coastal sage scrub community. Understanding how biochemical, morphological and physiological processes result in integrated organismal responses to environmental variation will improve predictive models of community response to climate change. Mediterranean-climate ecosystems are among the regions of the world most likely to be affected by climate change and the proposed work will collect critical information needed to restore these unique, threatened ecosystems. For example, understanding how species use water under a variety of precipitation scenarios may improve restoration efforts in systems invaded by exotic plant species by allowing resource managers to identify native species that use resources in a similar way, which may increase community resilience to invasion. This CAREER proposal represents a fully integrated plan of research and education though supervised and independent research (undergraduate, high school summer internships) and courses at the undergraduate and high school level. The study will be conducted at a small, undergraduate institution and will provide four undergraduate researchers per year with opportunities to enhance research, analytical and communication skills. Most of these students will continue into graduate programs or pursue careers in ecology or plant biology. Students from four upper-division biology courses will be directly involved in collecting and analyzing data from the proposed field experiment. High school science students from traditionally underrepresented groups will participate in weekly meetings at the PIs lab to set up a greenhouse experiment and collect and analyze data. High school students will also participate in weekend field trips and have the opportunity to conduct summer internships. The research grant will also help to establish long-term plots for the young female professor who is serving as the PI. The PI will engage the scientific community, resource managers and the general public through public lectures, local restoration activities, and continued collaborations with resource managers at the Irvine Ranch Conservancy.

这项研究解决了如何叶，茎和根性状共同影响生物体的反应，不同的降水情况下，在地中海气候生态系统中的多个物种。 干旱和半干旱环境中的降水量在年内和跨年之间变化很大，植物的适应性取决于在这些事件中对水的快速或有效利用。 适应干旱系统的植物物种具有许多叶、茎和根的性状，这些性状有助于最大限度地减少水分胁迫，但目前尚不清楚这些保水性状是否限制了植物对降水事件的快速反应能力，以及水分获取和保水性状如何与植物适应性相对应。 拟议的研究是围绕两个问题组织的：（1）是否有一个权衡的能力，以应对突然变化的水的可用性和水资源保护策略，（2）性状有关的水的收购和保护与植物的健身和如何这取决于降水的幅度和频率？ 这些问题将在四个一年生和六个多年生物种从南部加州沿海鼠尾草灌丛社区进行检查。 了解生物化学、形态学和生理学过程如何导致有机体对环境变化的综合反应，将改善社区对气候变化反应的预测模型。 地中海气候生态系统是世界上最有可能受到气候变化影响的地区之一，拟议的工作将收集恢复这些独特的、受威胁的生态系统所需的关键信息。 例如，了解物种在各种降水情景下如何使用水，可以通过允许资源管理人员识别以类似方式使用资源的本地物种来改善被外来植物物种入侵的系统的恢复工作，这可能会增加社区对入侵的恢复能力。 这个职业建议代表了一个完全整合的研究和教育计划，通过监督和独立的研究（本科，高中暑期实习）和本科和高中课程。 这项研究将在一个小型的本科院校进行，每年将为四名本科研究人员提供提高研究、分析和沟通技能的机会。 这些学生中的大多数将继续进入研究生课程或从事生态学或植物生物学的职业。 来自四个高年级生物课程的学生将直接参与收集和分析拟议的实地实验数据。 来自传统上代表性不足的群体的高中理科学生将参加PI实验室的每周会议，以建立温室实验并收集和分析数据。 高中生也将参加周末实地考察，并有机会进行暑期实习。研究补助金还将帮助为担任PI的年轻女教授建立长期计划。 PI将通过公开讲座，当地恢复活动以及与Irvine Ranch Conservancy的资源经理继续合作，吸引科学界，资源经理和公众的参与。