Ecology and evolution of reproductive diversity in flowering plants

大约35万种开花植物表现出显著的生殖适应性多样性，繁殖系统从雌雄异株到雌雄同体，交配系统从完全自花受精到完全异花受精，以及似乎无穷无尽的花卉设计和展示。这种多样性在很大程度上代表了生殖功能的差异，因此我的研究解决了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。我的发现基金提案确定了四组项目，从不同的角度解决生殖多样性问题。1)两个项目将研究花在花茎上三维排列的功能及其演化的制约因素。2) 4个项目将考虑在开花季节单个植物繁殖特性的变化，作为促进雌性和雄性成功的手段。3)四个项目将审查资源，特别是碳资源在生殖方面的分配及其在竞争性生殖功能方面的分配。5个项目将测试关于植物的特征是否会影响影响交配成功的性状选择的假设。这15个项目从互补的角度探讨了植物的生殖多样性，从特定性状的功能到交配系统的进化。这种假设驱动的研究包括对老问题的新方法，并对以前未探索的主题进行深入的探究。除了这些对了解开花植物生殖多样性的基础贡献外，该研究还将培养至少10名研究生科学家，并为至少20名本科生提供研究经验。

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.