Mechanisms and evolution of plant reproductive strategies

所有生物体面临的一个基本问题是，何时是繁殖的最佳时机，以最大限度地提高后代的存活率和成功。尽管它们很重要，但人们对不同战略如何演变以及为什么演变知之甚少。差异背后的遗传机制是什么，以及它们如何与决定最佳策略的生态过程相互作用？这一缺陷使我们无法预测气候变化将如何影响整个生命周期的物候反应，以及人口的反应和适应能力。 在开花植物中，有一年生植物繁殖一次，然后死亡，多年生植物在营养和生殖阶段重复循环。多年生植物和一年生植物之间的过渡是最常见的适应性进化变化之一，但很少有研究对其进化进行研究。我们将使用野花金丝猴(Mimulus Guttatus)来研究生活史差异背后的生态和遗传机制。这个物种包含这两种类型，它们是完全兼容的，所以我们可以观察Recet进化，并使用自然发生的遗传变异来测试潜在的机制。一个尚未解决的主要问题是，复杂的数量性状(如生活史)是如何保持的，复杂的表型是几个主基因作用于许多性状的结果，还是许多独立基因的结果。我们将结合田间试验、基因组学和基因表达研究来确定一年生和多年生性状背后的遗传结构及其适合性结果。 我们这个时代最紧迫的问题之一是，人口是否有潜力改变他们的物候反应，并适应不断变化的气候。具有不同生活史的物种提供了测试时机转变如何影响适合度的可能性，以及种群是否可以通过遗传变异或可塑性做出反应，或者两者都不是。我们将使用大田实验和牙根分枝杆菌及其近缘林氏分枝杆菌的基因组测序来检验关于物种适应气候变化能力的假设。 繁殖是任何活着的有机体成功的最基本的方面，而在植物中，成功的繁殖是生活史、授粉和交配的综合结果。尽管认识到这一点，但很少有人尝试研究它们的同时进化。我们将用统计比较的方法测试有关相关进化的预测，以调查特征是如何在Mimulus分支上进化的。使用一种新的方法，我们将在植物中测试性别选择理论的进化，并找出授粉后过程与授粉和交配进化之间缺失的环节。 这项研究将有助于回答生物学前沿的问题，并有助于预测物种对气候变化的反应。这项研究涉及高度可转移的现代技能，为受训者提供了适合他们职业生涯的工具。

A fundamental question faced by all organisms is when is the best time to reproduce to maximize survival and success of offspring. Despite their importance, how and why different strategies evolve are poorly understood. What are the genetic mechanisms underlying differences, and how do they interact with ecological processes that determine optimal strategies? This deficiency prevents us from predicting how climate change will affect phenological responses across the life cycle, and the ability for populations to respond and adapt. In flowering plants there are annuals that reproduce once and die, and perennials that cycle repeatedly through vegetative and reproductive phases. The transition between perennials and annuals is among the most frequent adaptive evolutionary shifts, and yet few studies have investigated its evolution. We will use the wildflower, Mimulus guttatus (seep monkeyflower) to investigate the ecological and genetic mechanisms underlying differences in life history. This species contains both types, and they are fully compatible, so we can look at recet evolution and use naturally occurring genetic variation to test the underlying mechanisms. A major unresolved question is how complex quantitative traits (like life histories) are maintained, and whether complex phenotypes are the result of a few major genes acting on many traits, or lots of independent genes. We will use a combination of field experiments, genomics and gene expression studies to identify the genetic architecture underlying annual and perennial traits and their fitness consequences. One of the most pressing questions of our time is if populations have the potential to shift their phenological responses and adapt to changing climates. Species with variable life histories offer the potential to test how timing transitions will affect fitness, and whether populations can respond via genetic variation or plasticity or neither. We will use field experiments and genomic sequencing of M. guttatus and its relative M. ringens to test hypotheses about the ability of species to adapt to climate change. Reproduction is the most fundamental aspect of success for any living organism, and in plants successful reproduction results from a combination of life history, pollination and mating. Despite this recognition, there have been few attempts to study their simultaneous evolution. We will test predictions about correlated evolution, with statistical comparative methods to investigate how traits have evolved across the Mimulus clade. Using a novel approach, we will test the evolution of sexual selection theory in plants, and make the missing link between post-pollination processes and the evolution of pollination and mating. The research will help answer questions at the forefront of biology and contribute to predicting species' responses to climate change. The research involves highly transferable modern skills, providing trainees with appropriate tools for their careers.