Dissertation Research: The Genetic Architecture of Glucosinolate Breakdown Specificity

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Relatively little is known about the relationship between adaptive phenotypes and the evolution of the underlying genes. One ecologically important phenotype that is constantly undergoing natural selection is plant resistance to insects. This study will uncover genes controlling natural plant insecticides, the glucosinolates, in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, employing quantitative and reverse genetics, proteomics, and DNA sequence analysis. These data, and the wealth of publicly available resources in the Arabidopsis community, will show how selection has shaped the genetic architecture of this ecologically and agriculturally important herbivory defense system. This represents an important contribution to the study of phenotypic evolution and it will help resolve several long standing debates in the field. In addition to contributions to the fields of evolution, ecology and agriculture, glucosinolates reduce cancer risks when present in the human diet, thus this study has important implications for human nutrition and agriculture. Additionally, this project will provide for training and research experience for graduate and undergraduate researchers, opportunities for collaboration, and the dissemination of these results to the scientific community.