Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Symbiont and Transcriptomic Niche Dimensions of Long-term Coexistence in Trifolium Communities

维度：合作研究：三叶草群落长期共存的共生体和转录组生态位维度

• 批准号: 1342841
• 负责人: Sharon Strauss
• 金额: $ 102.97万
• 依托单位: University of California-Davis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1342841&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dimensions; Collaborative; Research; Symbiont; Transcriptomic

Understanding how species coexist, and the role of genetic diversity within and between species, remains a fundamental challenge in biodiversity research. This project focuses on highly diverse communities of clover plants and their bacterial nitrogen-fixing symbionts, rhizobia. Integrating observational approaches, manipulative field, greenhouse, and growth chamber experiments, genomic techniques and phylogenetic analyses, this project will test the importance of rhizobial symbionts and soil feedbacks in coexistence. Gene expression and functional traits will serve as proxies for the ecological niche; this project will determine how these evolve using phylogenetic trees that capture the evolutionary history of species. This project will yield an integrated insight into the molecular, functional, and ecological mechanisms of diversity maintenance and will greatly increase our understanding of biological nitrogen fixation, a critical function of legumes and rhizobia in natural and agricultural ecosystems.Symbiotic nitrogen fixation has global importance on par with photosynthesis, and this project will assess its functionality in light of genetic variation in symbionts and clover species. This project will train two post-docs and two graduate students and will provide research experiences to undergraduate students through the Plant Genomics at MSU program, and through an exchange program with Howard University at UC Davis. The project will train students in the High School Honors Science Program at MSU and in the Ecological Society of America?s SEEDS program (Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability: Diverse People for a Diverse Science).

了解物种如何共存，以及物种内部和物种之间遗传多样性的作用，仍然是生物多样性研究的一个基本挑战。该项目重点研究高度多样化的三叶草植物群落及其细菌固氮共生体根瘤菌。本项目将整合观测方法、操作田间、温室和生长室实验、基因组技术和系统发育分析，测试根瘤菌共生体和土壤反馈在共存中的重要性。基因表达和功能性状可以作为生态位的代表；这个项目将通过捕捉物种进化史的系统发育树来确定这些物种是如何进化的。该项目将对多样性维持的分子、功能和生态机制有一个全面的了解，并将大大增加我们对生物固氮的理解，这是豆科植物和根瘤菌在自然和农业生态系统中的重要功能。共生固氮与光合作用具有同等的全球重要性，本项目将根据共生体和三叶草物种的遗传变异来评估其功能。该项目将培养两名博士后和两名研究生，并将通过密歇根州立大学植物基因组学项目和与加州大学戴维斯分校霍华德大学的交换项目为本科生提供研究经验。该项目将在密歇根州立大学的高中荣誉科学项目和美国生态学会培训学生。联合国教科文组织的SEEDS项目（生态教育、多样性和可持续性战略：多样化的人，多样化的科学）。