Descrizione del progetto
Verso relazioni reciprocamente più vantaggiose tra fiori e api
Circa tre quarti delle piante da fiore e il 35 % delle colture alimentari del mondo dipendono dagli impollinatori animali per la produzione. La maggior parte di questi sono impollinati dalle api, le cui popolazioni sono in rapido declino, minacciando la salute dei nostri ecosistemi e il nostro approvvigionamento alimentare. Il progetto NectarGland, finanziato dal Consiglio europeo della ricerca, intende studiare le caratteristiche dei fiori rilevanti per il foraggiamento delle api e la loro base molecolare, per capire meglio come le piante domestiche attraggono e premiano tali insetti. Tali conoscenze aumenteranno la comprensione della co-evoluzione delle piante e degli impollinatori, miglioreranno la resa delle colture, comprese quelle trascurate che hanno un grande potenziale per aumentare la sicurezza alimentare e generare reddito nei paesi poveri, e favoriranno popolazioni di api più sane.
Obiettivo
Animal pollinators are vital for life on earth. While human population keeps growing, pollinator populations are dropping, thus threatening food security. In agriculture, the main insect pollinators are bees, by far.
The lack of knowledge on how domesticated plants attract and reward bees has hampered the selection of varieties with improved and mutually beneficial crop-pollinator relationships. We propose to investigate flower features, including developmental, morphological and chemical cues, in relation with bee foraging. Elucidating the molecular basis of these processes would not only help sustain yields, but it is key to understand the co-evolution of plants and pollinators.
We chose melon as a model system, because it is a strictly entomophilous crop, and because it provides all flower sexual morphs useful to probe plant-insect interactions. ForBees is a multidisciplinary project that integrates molecular genetic analysis and precise phenotyping. First, we will study melon genetic biodiversity with the aim to identify alleles that control nectar-related traits and bee attraction. The comparative analysis of wild accessions, landraces and breeding lines will further test whether domestication led to the loss of useful traits affecting insect visits. Second, we will analyse the gene networks that drive nectar gland development and nectar production. Finally, potential key regulators will be validated genetically. Through this work, we aim to develop a toolbox to tailor the morphology and chemistry of the flowers towards improved bee foraging activities.
In addition to research in melon, results from this project, and from previous works, will be translated into neglected crops of the Cucurbitaceae family. These are major food crops in many developing countries, ensuring food security and generating income for poor farmers. Yet, these crops suffer from low fruit set because of partial pollination and would greatly benefit from enhanced breeding tools.
Campo scientifico
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesgenetics
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesevolutionary biology
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagricultureagronomy
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiological behavioural sciencesbehavioural ecology
Parole chiave
Programma(i)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsIstituzione ospitante
75007 Paris
Francia