Functional and Genetic Basis of Leaf Venation: Testing and Expanding Theory and Core Knowledge with Arabidopsis Vein Mutants and Ecotypes

叶脉性状被认为是理解植物对环境的适应，对环境变化的反应，以及作物性能的关键。然而，脉性状的直接联系，整个植物的性能还没有完全理解。 本计画将以拟南芥为模式物种，测试并延伸目前植物叶脉功能的理论。该项目将确定不同静脉特征的基因，以及这些基因如何导致更高层次的功能，包括水的运输和生长。这项工作将发现基因如何决定植物功能，为提高植物生产力创造资源，并澄清自然物种的进化，在植物生理学，生态学和遗传学领域产生关键影响。众多本科生将融入该项目，接受的培训是科学方法论和数据分析。该项目包括创建一个新的网络资源，使K-12学生，教师和公众成员进行自己的分析，以估计静脉属性如何影响植物功能。这项工作旨在通过在农业和生态可持续性方面的应用以及对理科学生和公众进行植物生物学教育来促进国家繁荣和福利。从农业到古生物学，人们越来越认识到叶脉对植物性能的重要性。这种理解是基于不同植物物种的比较研究，表明叶片脉序的主要结构特征影响叶片气体交换。然而，关于脉性状重要性的理论还没有在一个模型系统中得到严格的检验，如A。thaliana.已经鉴定出具有叶表型的脉突变体，其显示脉横截面解剖结构、间距、图案化和/或连接性改变。该项目将利用叶脉突变体和天然生态型，以前进行基因组测序的生理实验，建模和遗传分析相结合。假设的机械性状连锁和全基因组性状关联将被测量以解决两个研究问题：（1）叶脉性状如何影响水力学，气体交换和生长？(2)什么是与叶脉性状相关的遗传位点，它们如何决定A。拟南芥基因型？该项目在模拟基因序列如何决定关键植物性状以扩展到整个植物功能的能力方面开辟了新天地。这种综合方法将为植物生理学和遗传结构提供新的见解，并为这些领域的交叉点的许多进一步分析奠定基础。更广泛的影响工作将利用对科学家，学生和外行的巨大吸引力的树叶脉序。与本科生和代表性不足的高中生合作，将创建一个众包网站“VenationNation”，为研究人员、公民和学生提供参与叶脉研究的独特资源。 该网站将包含可下载的叶脉系统和协议的图像，以计算和解释静脉特征与自学和课程。该网站将增加公民和学生对科学的参与，提供教学资源，创造理解植物科学原理的途径，并帮助研究的全球传播。

Leaf vein traits are considered to be critical for understanding plant adaptation to the environment, responses to environmental changes, and crop performance. However, the direct linkages of vein traits to whole plant performance are not completely understood. This project will test and extend current theory for the role of leaf veins in plant function, using the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. The project will determine the genes underlying different vein traits and how these lead to higher-level functions including water transport and growth. This work will result in discoveries of how genes determine plant function, create resources for improving plant productivity, and clarify the evolution of natural species, with critical impacts in the fields of plant physiology, ecology and genetics. Numerous undergraduate students will be integrated into the project, receiving training is scientific methodology and data analysis. The project includes the creation of a new web resource to enable K-12 students, teachers, and members of the public to conduct their own analyses to estimate how vein properties affect plant function. The work aims to advance national prosperity and welfare through applications in agriculture and ecological sustainability and education of science students and the public in plant biology.Leaf venation is increasingly recognized as important to plant performance, with applications from agriculture to paleobiology. This understanding is based on comparative studies across diverse plant species, which showed that major structural features of leaf venation influenced leaf gas exchange. However, the theory for the importance of vein traits has not yet been tested rigorously in a model system, such as A. thaliana. Vein mutants have been identified with leaf phenotypes showing altered vein cross-sectional anatomy, spacing, patterning and/or connectivity. The project will utilize both leaf vein mutants and natural ecotypes previously subjected to genomic sequencing in a combination of physiological experiments, modeling, and genetic analyses. Hypothesized mechanistic trait linkages and genome-wide association of traits will be measured to address two research questions: (1) How do leaf vein traits influence hydraulics, gas exchange and growth? (2) What are the genetic loci associated with leaf vein traits, and how do they determine higher-level function across A. thaliana genotypes? The project breaks new ground in the ability to model how gene sequence determines key plant traits that scale up to whole plant function. The integrative approach will provide new insights into plant physiology and genetic architecture and set the stage for numerous further analyses at the intersection of these fields. Broader Impacts work will capitalize on the great appeal of leaf venation for scientists, students and laypeople. In collaboration with undergraduate students and under-represented high school students, a crowd-sourcing website will be created, "VenationNation", to provide unique resources for researchers, citizens and students to become involved in leaf venation research. The site will contain downloadable images of leaf vein systems and protocols to calculate and interpret vein traits with self-teaching and course curricula. This site will increase the involvement of citizens and students in science, provide resources for teaching, create pathways toward understanding of principles of plant science, and aid in the global dissemination of the research.