FIBR - Molecular Evolutionary Ecology of Developmental Signaling Pathways in Complex Environments.

该研究项目将研究自然环境中的植物如何整合多种环境线索，以便在有利的季节条件下开花。 为此，它将结合分子生物学、分子进化遗传学、数量遗传学、进化生态学、基因网络建模和生物地理学的工具，剖析模式植物物种拟南芥的自然遗传变异。主要目标是：1）识别环境信号整合中的自然遗传变异; 2）剖析信号整合的分子机制; 3）通过分析候选基因中的DNA序列变异来揭示塑造信号通路的进化力量; 4）测试这些候选基因中的自然变异是否有助于响应多种环境线索的变异; 5）在精细的遗传尺度上定位影响开花反应自然变异的数量性状基因座（QTL）; 6）检测候选基因的自然等位变异体的不同组合对开花反应的影响; 7）模拟候选开花基因的自然变异对整个开花途径功能的影响; 8）通过检查开花反应，候选基因变异，和气候在原产地的网站; 9）测量自然选择的地理变化，通过在整个欧洲本土气候范围内复制的田间实验中，从欧洲不同地区种植品系。更广泛的影响：该项目的结果对于预测植物将如何应对持续的气候变化至关重要。广泛的研究范围将提供跨学科的培训，博士后，博士前，和本科生以及K-12教育工作者。 与7个欧洲领先实验室的国际培训合作将为学生和博士后提供学习拟南芥分子和群体遗传学的独特机会。因此，未来的研究人员和教育工作者将学会超越学科界限，整合分子和进化的方法来解决生物学问题。

This research project will investigate how plants in natural environments integrate multiple environmental cues in order to flower during favorable seasonal conditions. To this end, it will dissect natural genetic variation in the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, combining tools from molecular biology, molecular evolutionary genetics, quantitative genetics, evolutionary ecology, gene network modeling, and biogeography. Major objectives are: 1) to identify natural genetic variants in environmental signal integration; 2) to dissect molecular mechanisms of signal integration; 3) to uncover the evolutionary forces shaping signaling pathways by analyzing DNA sequence variation in candidate genes; 4) to test whether natural variation in these candidate genes contributes to variation in response to multiple environmental cues; 5) to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) contributing to natural variation in flowering responses on a fine genetic scale; 6) to examine the effects of different combinations of natural allelic variants of candidate genes on flowering responses; 7) to model the effects of natural variation in candidate flowering genes on overall flowering pathway function; 8) to test for evidence of local adaptation to climate by examining geographic associations between flowering responses, candidate gene variation, and climate in the site of origin; 9) to measure geographic variation in natural selection by growing lines from different parts of Europe in replicated field experiments across the native European climatic range. Broader impacts: The results of this project will be important for predicting how plants will respond to ongoing climate change. The broad research scope will provide interdisciplinary training to postdoctoral, predoctoral, and undergraduate students as well as K-12 educators. International training collaborations with 7 leading European laboratories will provide unique opportunities for students and postdocs to learn Arabidopsis molecular and population genetics. Thus, future researchers and educators will learn to transcend disciplinary boundaries and integrate molecular and evolutionary approaches to biological problems.