Environmental data loggers for ecological-genetic field experiments

用于生态遗传现场实验的环境数据记录仪

• 批准号: 345465-2007
• 负责人: Eckert, Christopher
• 金额: $ 1.13万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2006-01-01 至 2007-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=325834
• 关键词: Environmental; data; loggers; ecological; genetic

Evolution by natural selection happens when genetic variation among individuals of a species interacts with environmental variation in physical and biological factors to cause variation in survival and reproductive success, or what biologists call fitness. Investigating the agents of natural selection in the wild requires good estimates of both genetic variability and variability in the environment. Recently the ability of ecologists to quantify variation in key environmental factors such as temperature, light and water availability has been greatly enhanced by low-cost, high-resolution, digital data loggers with the capacity to store thousands of measurements over long periods of time under natural conditions. This NSERC Research Tools & Instrumentation Grant requests funding for environmental data loggers to measure both coarse- and fine-scale spatial variation in temperature, light and soil moisture in natural habitats to enhance our research investigating the evolution of plant life history and reproductive strategy. Our recent work uses ecological-genetic field experiments to test hypotheses concerning: (1) how natural selection creates adaptive intraspecific variation in mating system in response to spatial variation in climate and interactions with other species (particularly pollinators); and (2) the ecological and genetic factors that cause evolutionary limits to the geographical distribution of plant species. The proposed package of data logging equipment (HOBO microstation and Pro v2 loggers) will enable us to quantify large-scale climatic variation among experimental field sites as well as finer-scale variation in temperature within sites, and thereby test of a variety of unresolved ecological and evolutionary hypotheses. This equipment is cost-effective and has an excellent reputation for performance in ecological experiments. In addition to enabling new experimental approaches, thereby enhancing scientific discovery, the proposed equipment will create opportunities for training students in the spatial analysis of environmental variation, an extremely valuable skill in many areas of fundamental science as well as applications in conservation and agricultural biotechnology.

当一个物种个体之间的遗传变异与物理和生物学因素的环境变异相互作用以引起生存和生殖成功的差异，或者生物学家所说的适应性时，就会发生自然选择的进化。研究野外自然选择的药物需要对环境中遗传变异性和可变性的良好估计。最近，通过低成本，高分辨率，数字数据记录仪，生态学家量化关键环境因素（例如温度，光和水的利用率）的变化的能力大大提高了，具有在自然条件下长时间存储数千次测量的能力。这项NSERC研究工具和仪器赠款要求为环境数据记录仪提供资金，以测量自然栖息地中温度，光和土壤水分的粗糙和细尺度空间变化，以增强我们的研究，以调查植物生命历史和生殖策略的演变。我们最近的工作使用生态基因遗传实验实验来测试有关的假设：（1）自然选择如何响应气候变化和与其他物种（尤其是授粉媒介）的空间变化以及与其他物种相互作用的空间变化，从而在交配系统中产生适应性的种内变化； （2）导致进化限制植物物种地理分布的生态和遗传因素。提议的数据记录设备（Hobo Microstation和Pro V2记录器）的包装将使我们能够量化实验场地位点之间的大规模气候变化以及站点内温度的较大尺度变化，从而测试各种未解决的生态和进化假设。该设备具有成本效益，并且在生态实验中的性能方面享有良好的声誉。除了实现新的实验方法外，还可以增强科学发现外，该提议的设备还将为学生在环境变化的空间分析中培训学生，这是基本科学的许多领域以及在保护和农业生物技术方面的应用。