Tapping the biological and chemical diversity of Canada's plants: An interdisciplinary approach

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Plant metabolites are vital to global ecosystems and economies. Ecologically, they sustain food chains, mediate interspecific interactions, and shape co-evolutionary relationships. Economically, humans have harnessed plant chemistry for food, medicine, pesticides, biofuels and other industrial or cultural purposes. In Canada, despite unsurpassed boreal and arctic biodiversity, distinct southern ecosystems and rich indigenous traditional knowledge, our plants remain surprisingly unexplored and underdeveloped by science. Moreover, while the ecology and human uses of plants are fundamentally linked through the biochemical effects generated by plant chemistry, the two perspectives are seldom integrated and explored to provide insight on one another. My proposed program targets groups of plants that are economically important with rich yet unstudied native biodiversity. Because Canada has too many plants to investigate, we identify species and chemicals of scientific and societal interest by integrating perspectives in plant evolution and ecology, plant chemistry and pharmacology, and ethnobotany (the relationship between plants and people). Under overarching themes of plant ecology and sustainable resource development, our research aims to understand how, when and why plants produce biologically active substances and to identify promising plant species for development as functional foods, natural health products (NHPs), biopharmaceuticals or pest and biological control agents. With the long-term goal of establishing a world-class research and training program, we bridge basic science to real world applications that support economic opportunity and innovative products as well as sound public policy, programs and education that benefit Canadian communities, industries, and ecosystems. To achieve this goal, we use different types of research (laboratory, greenhouse, field and community-based) research and collaborate with industry, government and First Nations and Inuit communities. Studying our nation's unique plant diversity and indigenous traditional knowledge, my program currently focuses on three groups of plant: the sunflower family (Asteraceae), the blueberry family (Ericaceae) and, more generally, plants that could be edible but may be toxic. Through our research, we will identify plants and new compounds for potential development as new products, inform best practices for cultivating and harvesting high-value crops for optimized quality and safety, and improve access to high quality food resources in indigenous communities. Offering enthusiastic young scientists training and experience in different scientific fields, on advanced technical equipment, and with private and public sector partners, my program will also help provide the next generation of leaders with valuable expertise and professional networks.