Evolution of Ecophysiological Traits in a Species of Hybrid Origin, Helianthus Anomalus

了解植物性状和植物性能之间的关系是基础和应用植物科学的基本目标。本研究将确定杂交野生向日葵品种（Helianthus anomalous）及其祖先亲本（Helianthus annuus和Helianthus petiolaris）的早期杂交品种（Helianthus petiolaris）的植物性状与性能（存活率和生殖产量）之间的关系。我们对与水分利用、光合碳增益、生长、生存和生殖输出有关的植物性状感兴趣。杂交物种复合体提供了一个独特的机会来研究这些性状是如何进化的，以提高在沙漠沙丘环境中的适应性，以及在这种水和营养有限的环境中，哪些性状组合与最佳表现有关。分析将包括a)实验花园，以显示哪些植物在沙丘内外的环境中表现最好；b)表型选择实验，以确定哪些性状能带来更好的表现；c)选择实验，以确定太阳花中这些性状是否存在可遗传的遗传变异。该研究将进一步加深我们对野生植物如何适应恶劣环境的认识，并确定可能对商业向日葵耐胁迫品系的开发有用的性状。

Understanding the relationship between plant traits and plant performance is a fundamental goal of both basic and applied plant sciences. This research will determine the relationship between plant traits and performance (survival and reproductive output) for a wild sunflower species of hybrid origin (Helianthus anomalous) and early generation hybrids of its ancestral parents (Helianthus annuus and Helianthus petiolaris). We are interested in plant traits related to water use, photosynthetic carbon gain, growth, survival, and reproductive output. The hybrid species complex provides a unique opportunity to look at how these traits are evolving to improve the fitness of the hybrids in a desert dune environment, and what trait combinations are associated with maximum performance in this water and nutrient limited environment. The analyses will include a) experimental gardens to show which plants do best in environments on and off the dunes, b) phenotypic selection experiments to determine which traits account for better performance, and c) selection experiments to determine whether or not there is heritable genetic variation for these traits in Helianthus. This research will further our understanding of how wild plants adapt to harsh environments and identify traits that may be useful for development of stress tolerant line of commercial Helianthus annuus.