Testing the ecological and physiological constraints to reproductive success in geothermal byrophytes

有性生殖是地球上大多数宏观生命的主要生殖方式，然而，我们预测环境压力如何影响有性生殖模式的能力却令人惊讶地有限。据预测，持续的全球变化将对物种分布和生物体的应激反应产生大规模影响，因此，了解环境应激与有性生殖之间的联系机制对于对未来环境的生物学做出明智的预测至关重要。在这个项目中，研究人员将研究地球上最古老、最广泛、最成功的植物群之一——苔藓——的环境压力和有性繁殖之间的生理机制。实地研究将主要在加利福尼亚州拉森火山国家公园的地热场进行，并将使用分子，生理和生化方法来建立我们对环境压力以及与其他生物的相互作用如何影响生殖成功的理解。研究人员将测试一系列假设，旨在了解在压力环境中促进和限制有性生殖的机制，以及非生物和生物因素如何相互作用以影响这些机制。更广泛的影响包括：1)确定环境压力如何影响地球上最广泛的植物物种之一的有性生殖；2)确定雄性和雌性植物应对环境胁迫和保证有性生殖的不同生理机制；3)了解与微生物伴侣的相互作用如何影响有性生殖模式。加深对环境压力如何影响有性生殖的了解，将是对地球生物系统如何应对和应对不断变化的地球日益增加的压力做出明智预测的关键。更广泛的教育影响包括培养优秀的本科生和研究生，特别是女性和代表性不足的群体，从事研究和创新的职业，以及开发旨在使本科生充分参与批判性思维、统计推理、写作和交流科学的新课程。

Sexual reproduction is the primary mode of reproduction for the majority of Earth's macroscopic life, yet, our ability to predict how environmental stress influences patterns of sexual reproduction is surprisingly limited. As on-going global change is predicted to have large-scale effects on species distributions and on stress responses of organisms, understanding the mechanisms linking environmental stress to sexual reproduction will be critical to making informed predictions about the biology of future environments. In this project, the investigators will study the physiological mechanisms linking environmental stress and sexual reproduction in one of Earth's most ancient, widespread, and successful group of plants, the mosses. Field studies will be performed primarily at geothermal fields in Lassen Volcanic National Park, CA and molecular, physiological, and biochemical methods will be used to bridge our understanding of how environmental stress, as well as interactions with other organisms, impacts reproductive success. The investigators will test a series of hypotheses aimed at developing an understanding of the mechanisms that both enable and constrain sexual reproduction in stressful environments and how abiotic and biotic factors interact to impact these mechanisms. Broader impacts include, 1) determining how environmental stress impacts sexual reproduction in one of Earth's most widespread plant species; 2) determining the different physiological mechanisms that male and female plants use to cope with environmental stress and ensure sexual reproduction; and 3) developing an understanding of how patterns of sexual reproduction are influenced by interactions with microbial partners. An increased understanding of how environmental stress impacts sexual reproduction will be key to making informed predictions about how Earth's biotic systems will cope and respond to the increasing stress of our changing globe. Educational broader impacts include training exceptional undergraduate and graduate students, especially women and underrepresented groups, for careers in research and innovation, and development of new courses designed to fully engage undergraduates in critical thinking, statistical reasoning, and writing and communicating science.