Wullschleger Stan D, Breen Amy L, Iversen Colleen M, Olson Matthew S, Näsholm Torgny, Ganeteg Ulrika, Wallenstein Matthew D, Weston David J
Environmental Sciences Division, Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831-6301, USA.
Mol Ecol. 2015 May;24(10):2301-9. doi: 10.1111/mec.13166. Epub 2015 Apr 20.
Molecular ecology is poised to tackle a host of interesting questions in the coming years. The Arctic provides a unique and rapidly changing environment with a suite of emerging research needs that can be addressed through genetics and genomics. Here we highlight recent research on boreal and tundra ecosystems and put forth a series of questions related to plant and microbial responses to climate change that can benefit from technologies and analytical approaches contained within the molecular ecologist's toolbox. These questions include understanding (i) the mechanisms of plant acquisition and uptake of N in cold soils, (ii) how these processes are mediated by root traits, (iii) the role played by the plant microbiome in cycling C and nutrients within high-latitude ecosystems and (iv) plant adaptation to extreme Arctic climates. We highlight how contributions can be made in these areas through studies that target model and nonmodel organisms and emphasize that the sequencing of the Populus and Salix genomes provides a valuable resource for scientific discoveries related to the plant microbiome and plant adaptation in the Arctic. Moreover, there exists an exciting role to play in model development, including incorporating genetic and evolutionary knowledge into ecosystem and Earth System Models. In this regard, the molecular ecologist provides a valuable perspective on plant genetics as a driver for community biodiversity, and how ecological and evolutionary forces govern community dynamics in a rapidly changing climate.
分子生态学在未来几年有望解决一系列有趣的问题。北极地区提供了一个独特且快速变化的环境，有一系列新出现的研究需求，可通过遗传学和基因组学来解决。在此，我们重点介绍了近期关于北方森林和苔原生态系统的研究，并提出了一系列与植物和微生物对气候变化的响应相关的问题，这些问题可受益于分子生态学家工具箱中的技术和分析方法。这些问题包括了解：（i）寒冷土壤中植物获取和吸收氮的机制；（ii）这些过程如何由根系性状介导；（iii）植物微生物群落在高纬度生态系统中碳和养分循环中的作用；以及（iv）植物对极端北极气候的适应。我们强调如何通过针对模式生物和非模式生物的研究在这些领域做出贡献，并强调杨树和柳树基因组的测序为与北极地区植物微生物群和植物适应相关的科学发现提供了宝贵资源。此外，在模型开发方面也有令人兴奋的作用可发挥，包括将遗传和进化知识纳入生态系统和地球系统模型。在这方面，分子生态学家为作为群落生物多样性驱动因素的植物遗传学，以及生态和进化力量如何在快速变化的气候中控制群落动态提供了有价值的观点。
