Ecology and evolution of reproductive diversity in plants

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The ~250,000 species of flowering plants exhibit remarkable diversity of reproductive adaptations, with breeding systems ranging from dioecy to hermaphroditism, mating systems ranging from complete self-fertilization to complete cross-fertilization, and a seemingly limitless variety of floral design and display. I expect that much of this diversity represents differences in reproductive function, so that my specific research projects address the roles of design and display in particular pollination and mating environments and their implications for the evolution of plant reproduction.    My Discovery Grant proposal identifies three sets of projects that address reproductive diversity from a variety of perspectives.  One set of four projects considers various aspect of the role of floral morphology in controlling the precision of pollinator-flower interactions.  This precision influences pollen dispersal between plants and so is a fundamental function of flower structure.  Three additional projects will address the controls on the number of flowers that plants display (the rate of flower opening and flower longevity) and their joint evolution.  A third set of two projects examine the influences of pollination success for the evolution of pollen and ovule production in hermaphroditic species and the evolution of separate sexes.  The final project will expand my research program as I consider the consequences of reproduction for the evolution of vegetative architecture and the form of plants.      The research that I propose addresses the reproductive diversity of plants from complementary perspectives, from the function of specific traits to the evolution of sexual systems and plant form. This hypothesis-driven research includes new approaches to old problems and exposes previously unexplored subjects to incisive inquiry. In addition to these fundamental contributions to understanding floral diversity, this research will educate at least seven post-graduate scientists and provide research experience for at least eighteen undergraduate students.