Ecology and evolution of reproductive diversity in plants

大约25万种开花植物表现出显着的生殖适应多样性，从雌雄异株到雌雄同体的繁殖系统，从完全自花受精到完全异花受精的交配系统，以及看似无限的花卉设计和展示。我希望这种多样性在很大程度上代表了生殖功能的差异，因此我的具体研究项目涉及设计和展示在特定授粉和交配环境中的作用及其对植物生殖进化的影响。 我的发现补助金提案确定了三套从各种角度解决生殖多样性的项目。 一组四个项目考虑了花形态在控制传粉者-花相互作用的精确性中的作用的各个方面。 这种精确性影响植物之间的花粉传播，因此是花结构的基本功能。 另外三个项目将解决对植物开花数量（开花速度和花的寿命）及其联合进化的控制。 第三组的两个项目研究授粉成功的影响，在雌雄同体的物种和进化的不同性别的花粉和胚珠生产的演变。 期末专题将扩展我的研究计划，因为我考虑繁殖对植物结构和植物形态进化的影响。 我提出的研究从互补的角度解决了植物的生殖多样性，从特定性状的功能到性系统和植物形态的进化。这种假设驱动的研究包括对旧问题的新方法，并将以前未探索的主题暴露于深刻的调查中。除了这些基本的贡献，了解花卉的多样性，这项研究将教育至少七个研究生科学家，并提供至少18个本科生的研究经验。

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.