Ecological and physiological implications of a vernalization requirement for flowering in creeping herbaceous perennial plants

匍匐草本多年生植物在加拿大的农业和自然生态系统中普遍以杂草的形式存在，许多物种对农业造成了重大的经济损失，对自然生态系统造成了环境破坏。这些植物通过种子和营养生殖结构繁殖，具有复杂的生活史，必须保持开花和非开花分生组织之间的平衡，以维持多年生的生长习惯。这种平衡是通过在营养生殖结构上产生休眠或非休眠芽，或通过产生营养和开花芽或分株来维持的。*******调节分株发育的机制各不相同，但春化（冷暴露）被认为在某些物种中起作用，并已在匍匐草本多年生植物红酢汁草中得到证实。这些植物的成功管理需要对调节植物生殖生物学的机制有广泛的了解，而多年生杂草春化的生理、生态和管理意义尚未得到探讨。在加拿大大西洋地区的许多植物群落中，红唇草通常作为杂草存在，是研究匍匐草本多年生杂草春化影响的良好模式种。*******本研究的总体目标是增加我们对匍匐草本多年生植物生殖生物学的理解，特别强调春化在调节植物生长发育中的作用。*在短期内（1 - 5年），我将利用温室和田间试验来确定I)幼嫩期、种子和根芽春化对开花的影响，ii)分株出苗时间对春化反应和开花的影响，iii)春化分株花原基形成的时间，iv)分株在衰老前是否反复开花。*在长期（5到10年），我想确定I)花的刺激是否可以在相互连接的分株之间传递，ii)与匍匐茎多年生植物春化相关的遗传变化的性质，以及iii)分株春化需求对整个植物生长和发育的影响。******本研究将为研究春化在匍匐草本多年生植物分株发育、全株生长和种群维持中的作用提供新的知识。然而，由于我们的模式物种是一种经济上重要的杂草，因此研究将带来额外的好处。因此，我的研究将有助于改善北美东北部自然和农业植物群落的多年生杂草管理。本研究的基本原理是，在匍匐草本多年生植物中，春化对植物的生长发育具有独特的意义，而红酢浆草是研究春化的良好模式植物物种

Creeping herbaceous perennial plants commonly occur as weeds in agricultural and natural ecosystems in Canada, with many species causing significant economic losses in agriculture and environmental damage in natural ecosystems. Reproducing by seeds and vegetative reproductive structures, these plants have complex life histories and must maintain a balance between flowering and non-flowering meristems to sustain the perennial growth habit. This balance is maintained through the production of dormant or non-dormant buds on vegetative reproductive structures, or through the production of vegetative and flowering shoots, or ramets.*******Mechanisms regulating ramet development vary, but vernalization (cold exposure) is thought to play a role in some species and has been confirmed in the creeping herbaceous perennial plant red sorrel. Successful management of these plants requires extensive knowledge of the mechanisms regulating plant reproductive biology, and the physiological, ecological, and management implications of vernalization in perennial weeds has not been explored. Red sorrel commonly occurs as a weed in many plant communities in Atlantic Canada, making it a good model species for studying the implications of vernalization in creeping herbaceous perennial weeds.*******The overall goal of this research is to increase our understanding of the reproductive biology of creeping herbaceous perennial plants, with particular emphasis on the role of vernalization in regulating plant growth and development.*In the short term (1 to 5 years), I will use greenhouse and field experiments to determine i) the effects of juvenility and seed and root bud vernalization on flowering, ii) the effect of ramet emergence timing on vernalization response and flowering, iii) the timing of flower primordia formation in vernalized ramets, and iv) if ramets flower repeatedly prior to senescence.*Over the long term (5 to 10 years), I want to determine i) if the flower stimulus can be transferred between interconnected ramets, ii) the nature of genetic changes associated with vernalization in creeping herbaceous perennial plants, and iii) the effects of a ramet vernalization requirement on whole-plant growth and development. ******This research will contribute new knowledge on the role of vernalization in regulating ramet development, whole-plant growth, and population maintenance of creeping herbaceous perennial plants. Additional benefits, however, will arise from the research as our model species is an economically important weed. As such, my research will contribute knowledge that will improve perennial weed management in natural and agricultural plant communities in Northeastern North America. The rationale for this research is that vernalization has unique implications for plant growth and development in creeping herbaceous perennial plants, and that red sorrel is a good model plant species to study this.***