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.

当一个物种的个体之间的遗传变异与物理和生物因素中的环境变异相互作用，导致生存和繁殖成功的变异，或者生物学家所说的适应性时，自然选择的进化就会发生。调查自然选择在野外的代理人需要很好的估计遗传变异性和环境中的变异性。最近，生态学家量化关键环境因素（如温度，光照和水资源）变化的能力得到了低成本，高分辨率，数字数据记录仪的极大增强，该记录仪能够在自然条件下长时间存储数千个测量值。这个NSERC研究工具和仪器补助金要求为环境数据记录器提供资金，以测量自然栖息地中温度，光照和土壤湿度的粗尺度和细尺度空间变化，以加强我们对植物生命史和繁殖策略进化的研究。我们最近的工作使用生态-遗传田间实验来验证以下假设：（1）自然选择如何在交配系统中产生适应性种内变异，以响应气候的空间变化和与其他物种（特别是传粉者）的相互作用;（2）导致植物物种地理分布进化限制的生态和遗传因素。拟议的数据记录设备包（流浪汉microstation和Pro v2记录仪）将使我们能够量化实验场地之间的大规模气候变化以及场地内温度的细尺度变化，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，在生态实验中具有良好的性能。除了能够采用新的实验方法，从而加强科学发现外，拟议的设备将为培训学生进行环境变化的空间分析创造机会，这是基础科学许多领域以及养护和农业生物技术应用中一项极其宝贵的技能。