In their broad-scale experiment, scientists will grow about 200 European "ecotypes" of Arabidopsis for example, Swedish and Italian varieties that flower at different times. They'll also screen the plant's genes to pinpoint which ones affect flowering responses to different environmental signals, and they will study natural variants of these genes that cause these reproductive differences. The team will then create new plant lines that differ only by a single gene, allowing them to understand the role each variation plays in reproduction.
Based on all this data, researchers will create computer models to predict when plants will flower and which will thrive in certain regions. Then, with the help of students sent for training in seven leading European Arabidopsis labs, all 200 weed varieties will be planted in six test sites one in Finland, one in England and two each in Germany and Spain to see which varieties live, which ones die and which ones produce the most seeds. Scientists will get to see if their predictions of successes and failures held up.
"It will be a Darwinian fitness test," Schmitt said.
Because Arabidopsis is closely related to canola, cabbage and other edible crops, Schmitt said the findings should help improve food production. Schmitt said the research should also help scientists better understand how ongoing climate change will affect crops and wild plants and point out ways to conserve species.
The results may even shed light on how complex environmental cues affect animals, including humans, who share many of their genes with Arabidopsis.
'"/>
Contact: Wendy Lawton
Wendy_Lawton@brown.edu
401-863-1862
Brown University
17-Sep-2004