Ecology and evolution of reproductive diversity in flowering plants

开花植物生殖多样性的生态学和进化

• 批准号: 107375-2012
• 负责人: Harder, Lawrence
• 金额: $ 2.99万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=569145
• 关键词: Ecology; evolution; reproductive; diversity; flowering

The ~350,000 species of flowering plants exhibit remarkable diversity of reproductive adaptations, with breeding systems ranging from dioecy to hermaphroditism, mating systems ranging from complete self-fertilization to complete cross-fertilization, and a seemingly limitless variety of floral design and display. Much of this diversity represents differences in reproductive function, so my research addresses the roles of design and display in particular pollination and mating environments and their implications for the evolution of plant reproduction. My Discovery Grant proposal identifies four sets of projects that address reproductive diversity from a variety of perspectives. 1) Two projects will address the function of the 3-dimensional arrangement of flowers on flowering stalks and constraints on its evolution. 2) Four projects will consider changes in the reproductive characteristics of individual plants during the flowering season as means of promoting female and male success. 3) Four projects will examine the allocation of resources, especially carbon, to reproduction and its allocation to competing reproductive functions. 4) Five projects will test hypotheses about whether characteristic features of being a plant affect selection on traits that affect mating success. These 15 projects address the reproductive diversity of plants from complementary perspectives, from the function of specific traits to the evolution of mating systems. This hypothesis-driven research includes new approaches to old problems and exposes previously unexplored subjects to incisive inquiry. In addition to these fundamental contributions to understanding reproductive diversity of flowering plants, this research will educate at least 10 post-graduate scientists and provide research experience for at least 20 undergraduate students.

大约35万种开花植物表现出显着的生殖适应多样性，从雌雄异株到雌雄同体的繁殖系统，从完全自花受精到完全异花受精的交配系统，以及看似无限的花卉设计和展示。这种多样性在很大程度上代表了生殖功能的差异，因此我的研究涉及设计和展示在特定授粉和交配环境中的作用及其对植物生殖进化的影响。 我的发现补助金提案确定了四套从各种角度解决生殖多样性的项目。1)两个项目将解决开花茎上花的三维排列的功能及其演变的限制。2)四个项目将考虑在开花季节改变个别植物的生殖特性，作为促进雌性和雄性成功的手段。3)有四个项目将审查资源，特别是碳，在生殖方面的分配以及在竞争性生殖功能方面的分配。4)五个项目将测试关于植物的特征是否会影响对影响交配成功的性状的选择的假设。 这15个项目从互补的角度探讨植物的生殖多样性，从特定性状的功能到交配系统的进化。这种假设驱动的研究包括对旧问题的新方法，并将以前未探索的主题暴露于深刻的调查中。除了这些基本的贡献，了解开花植物的生殖多样性，这项研究将教育至少10名研究生科学家，并提供至少20名本科生的研究经验。