Current Research Program:

My research focuses on the importance of ecological selection pressures, primarily by insects, for the evolution of plant traits. Of primary interest is mating system evolution; in addition, I have studied the evolution of resistance to herbivory, the importance of plant-herbivore interactions for invasiveness of plants, and the relevance of plant-pollinator interactions for both plant rarity and community stability. My approach has been to test current models of trait evolution within the context of the natural history of an organism. I choose traits that have a genetic basis that is known or can be determined (using classic quantitative genetic techniques), and so can respond to selection; combine controlled experiments with studies of natural populations; and where possible use genetic markers to refine my estimates of realized reproductive success (e.g. paternity analysis and outcrossing rate estimation).

Current initiatives include a study of the evolution of selfing in the highly polymorphic annual, Collinsia parviflora (including tests of the reproductive assurance and time limitation hypotheses, and measurements of inbreeding depression), research on how habitat fragmentation affects plant-pollinator interactions in both the endangered Garry Oak Ecosystem of Coastal B.C. and the rough fescue prairie of Alberta, and a phylogeographic study of mating system evolution and speciation in the genus Collinsia. For more information, please see my Lab Page.