%0 Journal Article %J Journal of Ecology %D 2010 %T Variation in gene expression of Andropogon gerardii in response to altered environmental conditions associated with climate change %A Travers, S.E. %A Tang, Z. %A Caragea, D. %A Garrett, K.A. %A Hulbert, S.H. %A Leach, J.E. %A Bai, J. %A Saleh, A. %A Alan K. Knapp %A Fay, P.A. %A Jesse B. Nippert %A Schnable, P.S. %A M.D. Smith %X

1. If we are to understand the mechanisms underlying species responses to climate change in natural systems, studies are needed that focus on responses of non-model species under field conditions. We measured transcriptional profiles of individuals of Andropogon gerardii, a C4 grass native to North American grasslands, in a field experiment in which both temperature and precipitation were manipulated to simulate key aspects of forecasted climate change. 2. By using microarrays developed for a closely related model species, Zea mays, we were able to compare the relative influence of warming versus altered soil moisture availability on expression levels of over 7000 genes, identify responsive functional groups of genes and correlate changes in gene transcription with physiological responses. 3. We observed more statistically significant shifts in transcription levels of genes in response to thermal stress than in response to water stress. We also identified candidate genes that demonstrated transcription levels closely associated with physiological variables, in particular chlorophyll fluorescence. 4.Synthesis. These results suggest that an ecologically important species responds differently to different environmental aspects of forecast climate change. These translational changes have the potential to influence phenotypic characters and ultimately adaptive responses.

%B Journal of Ecology %V 98 %P 374 -383 %G eng %U https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01618.x %M KNZ001293 %R 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01618.x %0 Journal Article %J Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment %D 2007 %T Ecological genomics: making the leap from model systems in the lab to native populations in the field. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment %A Travers, S.E. %A M.D. Smith %A Bai, J. %A Hulbert, S.H. %A Leach, J.E. %A Schnable, P.S. %A Alan K. Knapp %A Milliken, G.A. %A Fay, P.A. %A Saleh, A. %A Garrett, K.A. %X Recent reviews have emphasized the need to incorporate genomics into ecological field studies to further understand how species respond to changing environmental conditions. Genomic tools, such as cDNA (complementary DNA) microarrays, allow for the simultaneous analysis of gene expression of thousands of genes from all or part of an organism's genome (the transcription profile), thereby revealing the genetic mechanisms that underlie species' responses to environmental change. However, despite their potential, two major limitations have hindered the incorporation of microarrays and other genomic tools into field studies: (1) the limited availability of microarrays for ecologically relevant, non-model species and limited financial resources for developing new microarrays; and (2) concern that high sensitivity of gene expression to even subtle alterations in environmental conditions will hinder detection of relevant changes in field measures of transcription profiles. Here, we show that with cross-species hybridizations of microarrays developed for a closely related model organism, an appropriate experimental design, and sufficient replication, transcriptional profiling can successfully be incorporated into field studies. In this way, relevant changes in gene expression with changing environmental conditions can be detected. %B Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment %V 5 %P 19 -24 %G eng %M KNZ001083 %R 10.1890/1540-9295(2007)5[19:EGMTLF]2.0.CO;2