Jenny Dechaine
About Me
I am a Ph. D. candidate in Plant Biological Sciences at University of Minnesota. Outside of research and writing I’m a volunteer trip leader for U of M’s Center for Outdoor Adventure, and I routinely volunteer for science activities with K-12 students.
Research Overview
My thesis research examines the adaptive significance and genetics of maternal effects in multiple competitive environments.
When features of the maternal environment, such as light availability, influence offspring phenotype it is termed an environmental “maternal effect (1).” Maternally influenced traits, such as seed size and germination timing, are critical in the establishment and persistence of invasive species. Studies have found that seed germination depends not only on ambient external cues experienced by seeds, such as light quality (2), but also the light quality experienced by the maternal parent during seed development (3,4). For instance, low ratios of red:far-red light (R:FR) are highly predictive of competitive conditions, because chlorophyll in neighboring plants selectively absorbs light in the red region of the spectrum while transmitting far-red light. The family of phytochrome photoreceptor proteins shift photoreversibly between active and inactive forms in response to R:FR and thereby mediate germination timing, in addition to other traits. My thesis research uses selection analysis, quantitative genetics, and molecular techniques to address three goals: 1) investigate to what extent maternal effects are adaptive in competitive environments, 2) uncover the genetic regions that influence maternally controlled traits in the same environments, and 3) elucidate the role of each phytochrome gene in maternal control of germination timing. My study organism, Brassica rapa, was introduced to the United States from Europe and grown for many years as a seed-oil crop. Subsequently, many plants escaped cultivation, and B. rapa now occurs as a serious weed of agricultural fields and disturbed natural communities in over fifty countries across the world (5). It is also closely related to the plant model system, Arabidopsis thaliana, and A. thaliana is being used for the molecular portion of my work.
Potential Post-doctoral Advisors
Access my research CV.
I am currently searching for a post-doc position starting September 2008. I wish to continue in plant evolutionary genetics and would like to extend my experience in quantitative genetics and model systems to molecular work. I am willing to learn a new system. Throughout my graduate career I have thought about invasiveness, and I have become particularly interested in crop-wild gene flow and its ecological implications, including the creation of invasive weeds. I am currently processing data from crop-wild crosses in B. rapa grown under various competitive treatments.
Prospective Students
Feel free to email me with any questions about the graduate program or life in Minneapolis, MN (I'm a native)!
Why I chose to attend University of Minnesota for graduate school
Plant biological sciences (PBS) has a number of strengths that impressed me when I first visited the program. First, the program has hired a number of new, enthusiastic professors within the last few years. Second, the PBS program spans departments and encourages students to choose committee members from diverse disciplines. Lastly, plant bio has a very open and positive enviroment. Since I started here, I have gotten advice from many professors with different research interests, and all of them have been happy to share their expertise and equipment.
References
1 Roach, D.A. and R.D. Wulff. (1987) Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 18: p. 209-35.
2 Smith, H. (1982) Annu. Rev. Plant. Physiol. 33: p. 481-518.
3 Hayes, R.G. and W.H. Klein. (1974) Plant Cell Physiol. 15: p. 643-653.
4 McCullough, J.M., and W. Shropshire, Jr. (1970) Plant Cell Physiol. 11: p. 139-148.
5 Holm, L. (1997) World weeds: Natural histories and distribution. Wiley: New York. p. 17-124.
photos
In the field
Teaching 5th graders
Teaching people how to kayak
Contact
Jenny Dechaine
University of Minnesota
Department of Plant Biology
250 Biological Sciences Center
1445 Gortner Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108-1095Office: 306 Biological Sciences Center
Lab Phone: 612-624-2134 Cell Phone: 612-812-2097
Email: dech0022@umn.edu
Website design
The template for this webpage was downloaded from Open Source Web Design and modified by me to fit my needs. The design is "Scotchmark" and was designed by Kevin Cannon, a.k.a. Frozen.