Karen A. Garrett, Ph.D. - US grants

Karen Ann Garett, Allison Power, Helen Alexander (DEB-0130692, 0128277,0128810)


Little is known about the role of plant disease in natural ecosystems, but several current environmental concerns motivate a greater understanding. When considering the potential effects of climate change, invasions of new pathogen species, or movement of disease resistance genes from genetically modified crop species to wild plant populations, understanding the role of plant disease in natural ecosystems is key. We propose a study of plant disease in the tallgrass prairie to provide information relevant to these concerns as well as to a general theoretical understanding of pathogen ecology and the role pathogens may play in determining the success of particular plant species. Plants in the tallgrass prairie of North America are of particular interest because so little area remains of this ecosystem and attempts to restore tallgrass prairie are an important focus of conservation efforts in the Great Plains. In this study we will provide information about the abundance of pathogen species and the patterns of their co-occurrence on a set of representative tallgrass prairie plant species found at the Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS), an NSF LTER site in the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie region in northeastern Kansas. We will also estimate the effects of predicted climate change scenarios, landscape patterns of microclimate variation, and burning cycle patterns, and work to refine sampling methods for characterizing pathogen populations within natural plant populations. This study will supply an essential baseline data set for plant diseases at KPBS to complement the LTER database on plant species composition and productivity.

A grant has been awarded to Kansas State University under the direction of Dr. Karen A. Garrett for partial support of acquisition of equipment to enhance gene expression analysis capacity. Understanding complex biological processes requires analysis of the expression of the thousands of genes involved. This high-throughput gene expression profiling is now feasible through microarray technology. Over 40 laboratories at KSU include gene expression studies as part of their research and education programs. In response to the needs of KSU researchers, this grant will add three pieces of equipment to the KSU Gene Expression Facility to expand gene expression profiling capabilities. 1) A gene array analysis system that allows KSU researchers working with cells or tissues derived from model organisms to make use of high quality commercial arrays. 2) A ChipWriter/Colony Picking System that provides state-of-the-art gene array preparation technology and enables KSU researchers working with species that require custom arrays with subsets of genes, to print their own arrays from clones. 3) A hybridization station that will provide greater control over the critical hybridization step to reduce variability between samples and thus increase the statistical power of experiments.

Projects at KSU that require this new equipment include several of which are part of the NSF-supported Kansas Ecological Genomics initiative. This unique initiative has drawn together scientists from ecological and molecular disciplines to apply functional genomic approaches to the study of organismal response to global environmental change. Other areas of research that will especially benefit from this technology include plant and animal biology with a focus on host-parasite/pathogen interactions and research with emphases on tissue development, hormonal and drug effects, mutations, and cancer. KSU has and is further developing strong bioinformatics support for the analysis of gene expression data. Acquisition of this equipment will broaden the training of undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral scientists, strengthen this research area at KSU, help to attract and recruit excellent faculty and students, and provide an additional attraction for the recruitment of the best women and minorities at all levels.

Workshops to educate users of the equipment will be taught regularly. The PIs and other researchers involved in this project are active participants in programs aimed toward the recruitment of women and minorities to the sciences, including NSF GROW (Girls Researching our World), NSF ADVANCE Institutional Transformation program, K-BRIN (Kansas Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network), SUROP (Summer Research Opportunities for Undergraduates) and K-State DSP (Developing Scholars Program). In addition to the support this new equipment will provide to basic research, it will also support research contributions to the improvement of agricultural systems, human health, and ecosystem management.