Dissecting Selection on Multiplex Traits of Arabidopsis thaliana

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Explaining the presence of the incredible diversity seen in nature has focused much attention on understanding why plants possess such a diverse collection of defensive traits, such as chemicals, hairs and thorns. This project combines field experiments that manipulate environmental factors (i.e., water, light, and herbivore load) with the statistical power of quantitative genetics to explore how selection acts on such traits both individually and as a suite of complex interacting traits.Studies of the plant used in this research, Arabidopsis thaliana, have proceeded with great speed at the genome level, yet an understanding of this organism in nature lags behind. This study will not only allow a fuller understanding of the biology of this model organism, but it will also provide insight into the interaction of environment and genes. Understanding such interactions will allow us to better appreciate the consequences of environmental change on agricultural ecosystems, and could be used, for example, to develop crops that are designed to protect themselves. Because there is also a growing appreciation of the role of plant chemicals in human health, a fuller understanding of how selection acts on these chemicals might have important applications to nutrition and medicine.