Plant Sex and the Macroevolution of Plant Defenses: A Comparative Approach

North Carolina State University, Raleigh NC

Investigators

Abstract

Plants have evolved an array of traits that protect them against damaging insects, and different plant species vary dramatically in their level of chemical defenses. Despite substantial progress in understanding the biology of plant chemistry, a basic understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms that cause plants to vary in defense is lacking. Recent results suggest that differences in the reproductive strategies used by plants might play an important role. Specifically, reproductive systems that result in the loss of genetic diversity may also result in lowered defense. The goal of this project is to better understand whether different plant reproductive strategies influence the ability of plants to maintain defenses against insects, and to elucidate the genes that cause such evolutionary change. Interactions between plants and insects are of critical importance to natural and managed ecosystems as insects consume a large proportion of the biomass produced annually by plants. Such damage costs billions of dollars in lost revenue to farmers and foresters each year. It is therefore important to understand how plant species defend themselves and why they frequently vary in the types and levels of defenses they employ against insects. This project will help to elucidate the evolutionary and genetic causes of variation in plant defense observed among plant species, and ultimately provide a better understanding of the biological interactions within natural and managed ecosystems.