Evolution of the alternation of generations in the land plant life cycle

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This project aims to investigate the genetic and evolutionary basis of land plants’ dimorphic life cycle where a single genome can generate two body plans. Like animals, land plants spend part of their life as a diploid, where meiosis generates haploid spores. Unlike animals, these spores grow into multicellular organisms before generating gametes. The project will study a homeodomain protein encoding a gene family that controls the haploid to diploid transition in unicellular algae and fungi. It will investigate land plant genes in a flowering plant and a liverwort. These findings could help scientists understand and manipulate important processes such as pollen and seed production.