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

多年生匍匐草本植物通常作为杂草出现在加拿大的农业和自然生态系统中，许多物种在农业中造成重大的经济损失，并在自然生态系统中造成环境破坏。这些植物通过种子和营养繁殖结构繁殖，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，以维持常年生长的习惯。这种平衡通过在营养生殖结构上产生休眠或非休眠芽，或通过产生营养芽和开花芽或分株来维持。 调节分株发育的机制各不相同，但春化作用（冷暴露）被认为在某些物种中起作用，并已在多年生匍匐草本植物红酸模中得到证实。这些植物的成功管理需要广泛的知识调节植物生殖生物学的机制，和多年生杂草春化的生理，生态和管理的影响还没有被探讨。红酸模通常发生在加拿大大西洋的许多植物群落中作为杂草，使其成为研究匍匐多年生草本杂草春化作用影响的良好模式物种。 本研究的总体目标是增加我们对多年生匍匐草本植物生殖生物学的理解，特别强调春化作用在调节植物生长和发育中的作用。 在短期内（1至5年），我将使用温室和田间试验，以确定i）幼嫩和种子和根芽春化对开花的影响，ii）分株出现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，以及iv）分株在衰老之前是否反复开花。 从长远来看（5至10年），我想确定i）花刺激是否可以在相互连接的分株之间转移，ii）与多年生匍匐草本植物春化相关的遗传变化的性质，以及iii）分株春化要求对整株生长和发育的影响。 本研究将有助于对春化作用在调节多年生匍匐草本植物分株发育、整株生长和种群维持中的作用有新的认识。然而，由于我们的模式物种是一种经济上重要的杂草，因此这项研究将带来额外的好处。因此，我的研究将有助于知识，将改善在自然和农业植物群落在北美东北部多年生杂草管理。这项研究的基本原理是，春化作用对多年生匍匐草本植物的生长和发育具有独特的影响，红高粱是一个很好的模式植物物种来研究这一点。

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.