Ecology and evolution of reproductive diversity in flowering plants

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The ~350,000 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. Much of this diversity represents differences in reproductive function, so my research addresses 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 four sets of projects that address reproductive diversity from a variety of perspectives. 1) Two projects will address the function of the 3-dimensional arrangement of flowers on flowering stalks and constraints on its evolution. 2) Four projects will consider changes in the reproductive characteristics of individual plants during the flowering season as means of promoting female and male success. 3) Four projects will examine the allocation of resources, especially carbon, to reproduction and its allocation to competing reproductive functions. 4) Five projects will test hypotheses about whether characteristic features of being a plant affect selection on traits that affect mating success. These 15 projects address the reproductive diversity of plants from complementary perspectives, from the function of specific traits to the evolution of mating systems. 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 reproductive diversity of flowering plants, this research will educate at least 10 post-graduate scientists and provide research experience for at least 20 undergraduate students.