Research Interests
Pollen
My research interests lie in the realm of sexual selection in plants, specifically with respect to gametophytic or pollen competition. To date all studies on plants attempting to determine causes for nonrandom paternity have failed to distinguish between female mate choice and competitive interactions between pollen grains. The pre-zygotic post-pollination arena can potentially be one of great importance for plants due to the possibility of pollen competition and cryptic female choice. These processes can effect strong sexual selection on mating characteristics. Despite this, they have not been teased apart. I'm interested in applying a variety of methods, including in vitro cultures, controlled pollinations, and genetic fingerprinting to try and separate the phenomena that occur post-pollination but before fertilization. I plan to carry out this work in the genus Clarkia.
Clonal plant growth
There is another topic which interests me, which was the subject of my undergraduate thesis: clonal growth morphology and how dynamic modular plant growth can lead to active foraging for resources in the plant's environment. The single best characterized system for this is Fragaria chiloensis, the Pacific beach strawberry, which has been extensively researched by Prof. Peter Alpert from the University of Massachussets. The field has benefited extensively from the use of spatially explicit computer modelling, and the theoretical results match observed patterns quite tightly, in a way that is very satisfying.
General botany
My last interest is in general botany. It is less of a research interest and more of a lifetime pursuit. I find plants and the adaptations they have to their mobility limitations to be fascinating. Please see the botany section for more details.