NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in China

这项行动资助圣路易斯大学的Steven Thomas Callen于2013年夏天在中国云南昆明的昆明植物研究所开展生物科学研究项目。该项目的题目是“原生葛根和引进葛根的花卉生殖特性比较分析”。主持会议的科学家是王宏博士。入侵植物物种在新环境中繁殖的能力可能受到相容配偶和传粉者的限制。在这种情况下，植物交配系统的转变（例如，从异交到自交受精）可能通过提高果实和种子产量来促进入侵。目前对入侵过程中交配系统变化的理解有限，特别是对多年生（长寿）入侵者的性繁殖和无性繁殖。在这项研究中，研究员使用藤葛（葛根蒙大拿），在北美最强大的植物入侵者之一，作为一个模型来调查入侵对多年生，无性系植物交配系统的后果。比较了其原产地（中国）和引种地（北美）的生殖生物学（传粉者和花粉有效性及其结实/结实率和自花受精能力）。EAPSI奖学金的广泛影响包括为研究员提供美国以外的第一手研究经验；介绍该地区的科学、科学政策和科学基础设施；以及对社会、文化和语言的了解。这些活动符合美国国家科学基金会的目标，即在其科学家、工程师和教育工作者的职业生涯早期培养国际合作，从而确保美国科学劳动力具有全球意识。此外，本研究补充了中国和北美植物入侵的其他比较研究，以确定推动两国入侵成功的共同因素。照片和视频将与该奖学金产生的知识和成果相结合，用于在国内和国际科学会议上发表，为保护组织报告，以及教学活动。通过建立国际合作关系，研究员可以通过视频会议将本科生和高中生与中国研究人员联系起来，帮助学生将科学研究的概念扩展到全球视野。

This action funds Steven Thomas Callen of Saint Louis University to conduct a research project in Biological Sciences during the summer of 2013 at the Kunming Institute of Botany in Kunming, Yunnan, China. The project title is "A comparative analysis of floral reproductive traits between native and introduced kudzu (Pueraria montana)." The host scientist is Dr. Hong Wang.The ability of invasive plant species to reproduce in new environments may be limited by the availability of compatible mates and pollinators. In such situations, shifts in plant mating systems (for example, from outcrossing to self-fertilization) may promote invasion by providing enhanced fruit and seed production. Current understanding of mating system shifts during invasion is limited, particularly for perennial (long-lived) invaders that reproduce both sexually and clonally. In this study, the Fellow uses the vine kudzu (Pueraria montana), one of the most potent plant invaders in North America, as a model to investigate the consequences of invasion for the mating systems of perennial, clonal plants. The reproductive biology (pollinator and pollen availability and its capacity for fruit/seed set and self-fertilization) from its native range (China) to that from its introduced range (North America) are compared.Broader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. Furthermore, this study supplements other comparative studies of plant invasions among China and North America to identify common factors driving invasion success between the two countries. Photos and videos will be integrated with the knowledge and results generated from this fellowship for presentations at national and international scientific meetings, reports for conservation organizations, and teaching activities. Establishing international collaborations allows the Fellow to connect undergraduate and high school students with Chinese researchers through video conferencing, helping to expand student concepts of scientific research to a global view.