Collaborative Research: Quantiative Trait Loci (QTL) and Field Selection Studies of Parental Effects on Seasonal Dormancy in Arabidopsis thaliana

种子发芽的季节时机可能对植物的生存和繁殖产生重要影响。在许多植物物种中，种子的季节性休眠和发芽时间受到亲本植物所经历的环境的强烈影响。拟南芥是分子遗传学研究中广泛应用的一种一年生杂草，本研究将探讨其种子休眠的遗传控制和亲本环境对其休眠的影响。遗传作图将确定与季节性休眠、亲本环境影响和野外条件下适应性变化相关的染色体区域（数量性状位点或QTL）。通过对亲本日长和季节萌发环境的实验操作，研究亲本环境对季节休眠的影响如何影响田间的存活和繁殖。这项研究将是首次发现与季节性休眠、亲本效应和自然条件下的适应性相关的基因。这将为拟南芥发育的分子遗传学研究提供重要的生态学背景。结果将阐明分子基础和生态环境的植物性状至关重要的生存和性能在可变环境。适当的发芽响应环境线索可能有助于植物种群在可变环境中的持久性或扩展到新的栖息地。因此，本研究结果将对了解农业杂草和入侵植物物种的进化动态，以及在不断变化的环境中珍稀或濒危植物种群的管理具有重要意义。

The seasonal timing of seed germination may have critical consequences for plant survival and reproduction. In many plant species, seasonal seed dormancy and germination timing are strongly influenced by the environment experienced by the parental plant. This study will investigate the genetic control of seed dormancy and parental environmental effects on dormancy in the annual weed Arabidopsis thaliana, a species widely used for molecular genetic studies. Genetic mapping will identify chromosomal regions (quantitative trait loci or QTL) associated with variation in seasonal dormancy, parental environmental effects, and fitness under field conditions. Experimental manipulation of parental day length and the seasonal germination environment will investigate how parental environmental effects on seasonal dormancy influence survival and reproduction in the field. This study will be among the first to identify genes associated with seasonal dormancy, parental effects, and fitness under natural conditions. It will provide an important ecological context for numerous molecular genetic studies of development in A. thaliana. The results will elucidate the molecular basis and ecological context of a plant character crucial to survival and performance in variable environments. Appropriate germination responses to environmental cues may contribute to the persistence of plant populations in a variable environment or their expansion into novel habitats. The results of this study will be therefore be relevant for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of agricultural weeds and invasive plant species, as well as the management of rare or endangered plant populations in changing environments.