Dissertation Research: Ecological genomics of local adaptation in a perennial plant species

这项研究将有助于更多关于适应的遗传基础的工作。适应当地环境对气候变化下的持久性很重要；然而，人们对其发生的遗传机制知之甚少。这项工作将研究一种多年生植物物种局部适应的遗传基础，该物种具有两个经过充分研究的、假定的适应基因，这些基因与化学防御草食动物有关。研究人员关注的是白三叶，这是一种重要的牧草作物。这项研究促进了三家美国研究机构和一家新西兰农业研究所之间的合作。它还建立在之前建立的三叶草项目的基础上，该项目已经为全国70名教师和6000名学生提供了教学材料。该项目帮助培养一名代表性不足的少数民族学生，并将为6名本科生提供独立的、补充的项目。由于重点植物是世界范围内的重要农作物，遗传资源的开发对育种工作者将是有益的。本研究将探讨白三叶(Trifolium reppens L.)局部适应的遗传基础。在两年的时间里，将测量在三个气候不同地点的相互共用的花园中生长的克隆植物的繁殖产量。适应度测量的QTL定位将表征局部适应的遗传结构。研究将确定局部适应基因的影响大小的分布，以及适应是由条件性中性等位基因还是显示拮抗多效性的等位基因引起的程度。总体而言，这项工作将对氰化物发生的重要性进行全基因组评估。

This research will contribute to a growing body of work concerned with the genetic basis of adaptation. Adaptation to local environments is important for persistence under a changing climate; however, remarkably little is known about the genetic mechanisms by which it occurs. This work will examine the genetic underpinnings of local adaptation in a perennial plant species with two well-studied, putatively adaptive genes that are associated with chemical defense against herbivores. The researchers focus on white clover, an important grazing crop. The research promotes collaborations between three U.S. research institutions and a New Zealand agricultural research institute. It also builds upon the previously established Clover Project, which has provided instructional materials to 70 teachers and 6000+ students nationwide. This project helps train an underrepresented minority student and will provide independent, complementary projects for 6+ undergraduate students. Because the focal plant species is an important agricultural crop worldwide, the development of genetic resources will be useful for breeders. This research will examine the genetic underpinnings of local adaptation in white clover (Trifolium repens L.). For two years, reproductive output will be measured for cloned plants grown in reciprocal common gardens across three climatically distinct sites. QTL mapping of fitness measurements will characterize the genetic architecture of local adaptation. Research will determine the distribution of effect sizes of locally adaptive genes and the extent that adaptation is caused by either conditionally neutral alleles or ones that show antagonistic pleiotropy. Overall the work will provide a genome-wide assessment of the importance of cyanogenesis.