Collaborative Research: Comparative Breeding Structure of Four Species of Sonoran Desert Columnar Cacti

合作研究：索诺兰沙漠柱状仙人掌四种植物的育种结构比较

• 批准号: 9421673
• 负责人: Theodore Fleming
• 金额: $ 14.08万
• 依托单位: University of Miami
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1995
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1995-05-01 至 1999-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9421673&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Comparative; Breeding; Structure

9421673 FLEMING The Sonoran Desert is the lushest, most species-rich desert in the world. Conspicuous among its uniquely drought-adapted plants are four species of columnar cacti: saguaro (Carnegia gigantea), organ pipe (Stenothereus thurberi), senita (Lophocereus schottii), and cardon (Pachycereus pringlei). These species often occur in high densities, represent much of the living plant biomass in their communities, and serve as sources of food (nectar, pollen, fruit, and seeds) and shelter for a large number of desert animals. Despite the obvious ecological their reproductive biology and the importance of different kinds of pollinators for their reproductive success. In this study, we will conduct experiments to document the relative contribution of bats, moths, birds, and bees to the pollination success of columnar cacti and will analyze the genetic composition of seeds in the fruits produced by these pollinators. Our overall goal is to understand how different kinds of pollinators affect the genetic structure of populations of their food plants. Studies of the breeding system of desert plants are of particular importance because their extremely episodic recruitment (cactus populations gain new individuals in only one year in ten, on average) can have long-lasting effects on the genetic composition of individuals in their populations. Thus, the examination of four species of columnar cacti whose flowers are visited by different combinations of bats, birds, and insects will serve as a model system for studies of pollination biology as well as provide new insights into the processes that shape the genetic diversity of desert plant species. Our study will be the most detailed picture of the contributions of different kinds of pollinators to the breeding systems of flowering plants to date. Such knowledge is critical if we are to understand the role of pollinators in plant speciation, the origin of plant-pollinator interactions, and the potential genetic consequences to plants o f the loss of pollinators through human disturbance.

9421673弗莱明索诺兰沙漠是世界上最茂密，最丰富的沙漠。 在其独特干旱的植物中，显着的植物是四种柱状仙人掌：Saguaro（Carnegia Gigantea），器官管（Stenothereus Thurberi），Senita（Lophocereus Schottii）和Cardon（Pachycereus pringlei）。 这些物种通常以高密度发生，代表其社区中的许多活植物生物量，并用作食物的来源（花蜜，花粉，水果和种子），并为大量沙漠动物提供庇护所。 尽管显而易见，它们的生殖生物学以及不同种类的授粉媒介对生殖成功的重要性。 在这项研究中，我们将进行实验，以记录蝙蝠，飞蛾，鸟类和蜜蜂对柱状仙人掌授粉成功的相对贡献，并将分析这些授粉媒介产生的水果中种子的遗传组成。 我们的总体目标是了解不同种类的授粉媒介如何影响其食用植物种群的遗传结构。 关于沙漠植物繁殖系统的研究特别重要，因为它们的极其发作的招募（仙人掌种群平均在十分之一年就获得了新的个体）可能会对人群中个体的遗传组成产生长期的影响。 因此，检查四种圆柱仙人掌的研究通过不同的蝙蝠，鸟类和昆虫的组合来参观花朵，将作为研究授粉生物学研究的模型系统，并为塑造沙漠植物物种的遗传多样性的过程提供新的见解。 我们的研究将是迄今为止不同类型的授粉媒介对开花植物繁殖系统的贡献的最详细图片。 如果我们要了解传粉媒介在植物物种形成，植物 - 授粉相互作用的起源以及通过人类扰动中授粉媒介丧失的植物的潜在遗传后果，那么这种知识至关重要。