Collaborative Research: Understanding Constraints on Floral Evolution: A Phylogenetic Approach to Comparative Anthocyanin Evolution in Ruellia (Acanthaceae)

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Small changes in a few genes involved in plant pigment synthesis, such as in the red anthocyanin pigments, can have dramatic effect on the evolutionary trajectory of a lineage. The new flower color may require a different suite of pollinators that would influence the ability of the lineage to diversify. This project combines new genomic technologies and traditional methods to investigate the evolutionary trade-offs of flower color evolution in a group of plants, Ruellia (Acanthaceae), with 200+ species in the Americas. Cutting edge genomic approaches will place the plant anthocyanin biochemical pathway in an evolutionary context to understand what happens when, for example, purple flowers evolve from red-flowered ancestors. The phylogeny or family tree of Ruellia will be reconstructed using novel molecular markers to be developed for this project; these markers will subsequently be useful to numerous other researchers. Flowers are among the most common means by which people connect to nature: floral biology has great potential to engage broad audiences in science. This research will shed light on the anthocyanin biochemical pathway which contributes to numerous, important plant functions (e.g., pollinator and fruit disperser attraction, UV sunscreen, herbivore defense), and have also been linked to human health benefits (e.g., anti-cancer, -viral, -inflammatory, -arteriosclerosis activity; treatments for hypertension, vision disorders). Anthocyanins are common constituents of human diets, being found in frequently consumed fruits and vegetables. This research project will add substantially to knowledge of the genetic basis of anthocyanin production and will thus have implications for human health research.