Natural Variation in Developmental Timing and Morphology in Sunflower
Benjamin Blackman, Professor
Plant and Microbial Biology
Closed. This professor is continuing with Spring 2024 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Fall 2024.
Flowering and reproduction are highly regulated processes in composite plants like sunflower which produce disks that are clusters of many individual flowers. Environmental cues like light and temperature interact with the circadian clock regulate what time of the season buds first start to develop, and the same integration of internal and external signals likely occurs as new whorls individual florets open daily to present pollen and receptive stigmas at reproductive maturity. We are working to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying this process by mapping genetic changes segregating among cultivated sunflower lines that alter the timing of these events. To do so and to obtain information about pollinator visitation, we are collecting time-lapse video data for a large genetic mapping cross of wild sunflowers that we are grew last summer in Davis. Students will be involved in scoring these images for traits, and while the fieldwork is still ongoing, there may be opportunities to assist with data collection and other aspects of the project in the field depending on their schedule. With additional image sets, we are also assessing whether there tradeoffs may exist between the production of pollen vs. production of nectar rewards, and we are working to develop training libraries to facilitate the development of software for automated scoring of pollinator visitation.
Role: The undergraduate researchers will contribute to the scoring of floral image data collected in the field. They may also assist in development of methods for automated image analysis of pollinator visitation. The student is encouraged to join weekly Blackman lab group meetings as well.
Qualifications: Students with strong interests in plant-environment interaction, evolution, and ecology will find the experience most rewarding. Attention to detail and good record keeping skills are essential. Students with experience in image analysis / machine learning / computer programming and interested in applying or developing tools for pollinator visitation video scoring should note that in their applications.
Hours: 6-8 hrs
Related website: http://nature.berkeley.edu/blackmanlab
Biological & Health Sciences