Genetic basis of metabolic and phenotypic plasticity and its relation to plant fitness

表型可塑性是生物体对环境变化做出反应而改变其表型的能力，对于无柄植物适应快速环境变化是特别重要的性状。虽然可塑性可以提供适合度优势，并减轻环境扰动的负面影响，但其遗传基础仍然是未知的。通过使用全球和当地的拟南芥种质，我们将继续我们的研究解开可塑性的遗传机制。第一个资助期的结果将是实验验证的代谢可塑性理论，使我们能够在模拟和测试环境下确定影响代谢和表型可塑性的基因。在第二阶段，我们将进一步实验表征这些基因，并使用收集的数据集来完善模型，以识别控制可塑性的基因。此外，我们将扩大理论框架和实验证据，以了解代谢和表型可塑性和植物健身之间的关系。

Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of an organism to modify its phenotype in response to changes in their environment and it is particularly important trait for sessile plants to adapt to rapid environmental changes. Although plasticity can provide fitness advantage and mitigate negative effects of antropogenic environmental perturbations, its genetic basis is still largely unknown. By using global and local accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana, we will continue our research on unraveling the genetic mechanisms of plasticity. The outcome of the first funding period will be an experimentally validated theory of metabolic plasticity that allows us to pinpoint genes which influence metabolic and phenotypic plasticity under simulated and tested environments. In the second phase, we will further experimentally characterize these genes and in addition use the gathered datasets to refine the models for identification of genes controlling plasticity. Moreover, we will expand the theoretical framework and experimental evidence to understand the relationship between metabolic and phenotypic plasticity and plant fitness.