The Genetics and Genomics of Local Adaptation and Acclimation in Panicum Grasses

Co-PI：Jeremy Schmutz（HudsonAlpha生物技术研究所）; Phil Fay（德克萨斯大学环境科学研究所）高级合作者：Tim Keitt（德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校）;大卫洛瑞（密歇根州立大学）世界面临的一个主要挑战是随着人口的增加和环境的变化，能源需求沿着增长。虽然预测各不相同，但未来可能会改变目前的天气模式，特别是对温度和降水的影响。需要进行研究，以了解这些变化将如何影响农业生产力，并调查作物和本地植物的地理范围是否会发生变化。该项目使用遗传和基因组方法来发现长寿草柳枝稷及其亲属如何能够在一系列不同的栖息地中自然地应对和适应环境压力。 这项研究的一个主要重点是确定美国纬度梯度上参与当地适应和耐旱性的基因。最终，这些信息将为理解植物如何适应不同的条件提供基础，并将为设计抗逆作物提供工具。本科生将参与该项目，并将获得跨越学科和大陆边界的实践研究经验。虽然有令人信服的证据表明植物的局部适应性，但这些适应性背后的遗传基础尚未完全了解。特别是，目前还不清楚如何在个别基因座的遗传权衡的基础上的整体模式的适应或这些影响的空间规模。此外，表观遗传的“记忆”的压力在多年生植物和他们的长期适应的作用在很大程度上是未开发的。本项目的综合研究主要是对黍属牧草的地方适应性和驯化性进行研究。具体目标是：（1）进行田间QTL实验，以测试高地和低地柳枝稷生态类型的分歧，地方适应性和基因型与环境的相互作用，（2）精细定位和克隆二倍体欧黍耐旱QTL，（3）调查干旱遗传效应的生态和分子驱动因素，以及（4）进行欧黍气候适应性的基因组扫描。另一个主要目标是通过REU类型的计划培养下一代植物科学家，该计划使新生本科生在教育开始时参与研究。该项目的研究结果将促进目前为在干旱条件下提高作物性能而进行的努力，干旱条件是农业生产力的主要限制之一。所有序列数据将保存在NCBI短读档案库（http：//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra）和Phytozome（http：//phytozome.jgi.doe.gov/pz/portal.html）。表型和其他数据将通过期刊出版物和项目网站（https：//sites.cns.utexas.edu/juenger_lab/switchgrass）公开提供。

Co-PIs: Jeremy Schmutz (HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology); Phil Fay (University of Texas Environmental Science Institute)Senior Collaborators: Tim Keitt (University of Texas at Austin); David Lowry (Michigan State University)A major challenge facing the world is the growing demand for energy along with increasing populations and changing environments. Although predictions vary, it is likely that the future will bring alterations to current weather patterns, with impacts on temperature and precipitation in particular. Research is needed to understand how these changes will affect agricultural productivity and to investigate whether the geographical ranges of crops and native plants will shift. This project uses genetic and genomic approaches to discover how the long-lived grass switchgrass and its relatives are able to respond and adapt naturally to environmental stresses in a range of diverse habitats. A major focus of the research is to identify genes involved in local adaptation and drought tolerance across a latitudinal gradient in the US. Ultimately, this information will provide a basis for understanding how plants adapt to varying conditions and will provide tools to engineer stress resistance crops. Undergraduate students will be engaged in the project and will gain hands-on research experiences that span disciplinary and continental boundaries.Although there is compelling evidence for local adaptation in plants, the genetic basis underlying these adaptations is not fully understood. In particular, it is unclear how genetic trade-offs at individual loci underlie the overall pattern of adaptation or the spatial scale of those effects. Moreover, the role of epigenetic "memory" of stress in perennial plants and their long term adaptation is largely unexplored. The integrative research in this project investigates local adaptation and acclimation in Panicum grasses. The specific objectives are to (1) conduct field QTL experiments to test for divergence, local adaptation, and genotype-by-environment interaction in upland and lowland switchgrass ecotypes, (2) fine-map and clone drought tolerance QTL in diploid Panicum hallii, (3) investigate the ecological and molecular drivers of drought legacy effects, and (4) conduct genome scans of climate adaptation in Panicum hallii. Another major goal is to train the next generation of plant scientists through an REU-type program that engages Freshman undergraduate students in research at the start of their education. The findings from this project will facilitate ongoing efforts to engineer crops for higher performance under drought conditions, one of the major limitations in agricultural productivity. All sequence data will be deposited in the NCBI short read archive (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra) and at Phytozome (http://phytozome.jgi.doe.gov/pz/portal.html). Phenotypic and other data will be publicly available through journal publications and the project website (https://sites.cns.utexas.edu/juenger_lab/switchgrass).