Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year. (2017-2018 to 2022-2023)

Plant reproduction is fundamental to life on earth. Determining the mechanisms governing the origin of reproductive diversity is a central problem in evolutionary biology. Studies of plant reproduction provide some of the best examples of the evolution of adaptation by natural selection. Moreover, research on plant reproduction is critical for advances in plant breeding and biotechnology, and for applied fields such as invasion biology. The objective of this research program is to understand the mechanisms driving the evolution of angiosperm reproductive diversity by determining how and why evolutionary changes in reproductive and genetic systems occur. The research exploits the striking intra- and inter-specific variation that is a feature of many herbaceous plants to test theoretical models using the tools of ecological and evolutionary genetics. The objectives will be achieved using a variety of plant groups suitable for experimental studies, and that are appropriate for addressing specific questions. The research conducted by a team of students and post-doctoral fellows (PDFs) will use diverse approaches including field studies of natural and experimental populations, glasshouse experiments, laboratory studies of biomechanics, comparative methods, genetic crosses and selection experiments, and population genomic analysis of DNA sequences.

This proposal addresses four general themes: 1) evolutionary transitions from animal to wind pollination; 2) sex ratios and sex chromosome evolution; 3) genetic architecture of heterostyly; 4) mating systems and colonization, each involves 2-3 projects. The research will provide novel insights into several major questions in evolutionary biology including: the traits and mechanisms initiating transitions from animal to wind pollination, the mechanisms governing sex-ratio bias and Y-chromosome degeneration, the influence of haploid selection on sex chromosome evolution, the role of recombination suppression in the evolution of multilocus polymorphism, and the role of self-compatibility in biological invasions. These four themes, each providing opportunities for team research generating graduate theses, undergraduate projects and post-doctoral work, will contribute towards a deeper more comprehensive understanding of the ecology and evolution of plant reproduction. The research will result in the training of high caliber students and PDFs with expertise in ecology, genetics and evolutionary biology, who will publish their research in high-impact journals. The broad training provided by this research program, with its emphasis on both field experiments and also cutting edge tools and genomics, will equip students for employment in university research, government, NGOs and the business sector in such fields as agriculture and biotechnology, the health sciences, environment, forestry and conservation.