Dissertation Research: Gene Flow in Lathyrus latifolius

基因通过花粉在植物内部的移动 植物种群之间的关系还知之甚少。 此外，生态因素影响的方式知之甚少 传粉者和花粉运动。 花粉定量 运动是理解进化动力学的必要条件 自然人口。 在更实际的情况下， 了解花粉运动是至关重要的，如果我们要评估 如何最好地保护种群的遗传多样性 濒危物种 了解基因的运动，通过 花粉也将帮助我们评估固有的危险（和 在农业植物和树木中“引入”基因的好处。 以前测量花粉流主要依赖于 传粉者观察和独特标记的传播 在实验环境中选择植物。 这些方法 有严重的缺点，可能无法准确评估花粉 运动 一种统计技术，亲子鉴定 专为可疑的人类亲子关系而开发， 最近适应了植物种群-允许细化 测量有效的花粉运动。 父本分析 将用于准确评估自然界中的花粉运动， 和一个豆科植物山豌豆的实验种群。 选择这种植物是因为它的遗传变异水平和容易 实验性的操纵。 种植密度和 因此可以更容易地测量花粉移动的距离。 这项研究是第一次尝试详细分析 控制条件下影响基因通过花粉移动的因素 条件下，并将实验数据与 自然种群中花粉运动模式的描述。

The movement of genes via pollen among plants within populations and between plant populations is poorly understood. In addition, little is known of the way ecological factors affect pollinator and pollen movement. Quantification of pollen movement is necessary for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of natural populations. In a more practical context, an understanding of pollen movement is critical if we are to assess how to best preserve genetic diversity in populations of endangered species. Understanding the movement of genes via pollen will also help us assess the inherent dangers (and benefits) of "introduced" genes in agricultural plants and trees. Previous measures of pollen flow relied primarily on pollinator observations and on the dispersal of unique markers from selected plants in an experimental setting. These methods have serious drawbacks, and may not accurately assess pollen movement. A statistical technique--paternity analysis-- developed for cases of questionable human paternity and only recently adapted to plant populations--allows refinement of the measurement of effective pollen movement. Paternity analysis will be used to accurately assess pollen movement in a natural and an experimental population of the legume Lathyrus latifolius. This plant was chosen for its level of genetic variation and ease of experimental manipulation. The effects of plant density and distance on pollen movement can thus be more easily measured. This study is one of the first attempts to analyze in detail factors affecting gene movement via pollen under controlled conditions, and to integrate the experimental data with descriptions of pollen movement patterns in a natural population.