REU:  Polyploid Polymorphism in Relation to Adaptation to   Environmental Variation
{'Code': '08010207', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DEB', 'LongName': 'Division Of Environmental Biology'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Gregory J. McCants', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Polyploidy, the multiplication of all the chromosomes of an             organism, and therefore all the genes, occurs in many plant                     groups.  Moreover, plant species often contain substantial                      polyploid variation, so that neighboring individuals may have                   widely different numbers of chromosomes.  The function of this                  variation (polymorphism) is unclear.  Using an innovative                       application of biotechnology, flow cytometry, this research tests                                                                                               one of the major explanations of polyploid polymorphism:  that                  multiple polyploids adapt plant populations to variation in                     physical and biological stress.  Focusing on the dominant and                   economically important prairie grass, big bluestem (Andropogon                  gerardii), two crucial experiments manipulate the physical (water                                                                                               availability) and biological (grazing) stresses on plants of two                ploidy levels in the well-defined environments of common garden                 and greenhouse.  Complementing the controlled experimental                      results, a well-designed investigation surveys the distribution                 of the different polyploid levels in native grasslands along an                 east-west transect.  Thus, experimental response to important                   naturally occurring stresses will be related to new information                 on how native populations vary in chromosome number.  This                      project takes advantage of recent improvements in biotechnology                 to address questions in population biology that have previously                 been technically difficult.  In relating polyploid polymorphism                 to environmental stress, this study provides theoretical and                    practical insights.  It contributes to understanding the                        adaptations of native plants that allow them to prosper in harsh,                                                                                               unpredictable environments, and provides knowledge of plant                     responses to stress that facilitate management of forage and crop                                                                                               plants and can be incorporated into improved plant breeding                     programs.
{'FirstName': 'Kathleen', 'LastName': 'Keeler', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'H', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Kathleen H Keeler', 'EmailAddress': 'kkeeler@unlserve.unl.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000270698', 'StartDate': '10/15/1987', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
{'Name': 'University of Nebraska-Lincoln', 'CityName': 'LINCOLN', 'ZipCode': '685032427', 'PhoneNumber': '4024723171', 'StreetAddress': '2200 VINE ST # 830861', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'Nebraska', 'StateCode': 'NE', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '01', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'NE01', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'HTQ6K6NJFHA6', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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[{'Code': '112600', 'Text': 'LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RES (LTER'}, {'Code': '112700', 'Text': 'Evolutionary Processes'}, {'Code': '914500', 'Text': 'SPECIAL PROGRAMS-RESERVE'}]
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1987&All=true', 'xml': '8704705.xml'}