General Research Interests

Cell biology of plant structure/function and evolutionary plant morphology.

Research funded by NSERC: The biology of compatible and incompatible pollen-carpel interactions in basal angiosperms.

Research Program

The study of plant reproductive biology is the primary focus of research in my laboratory. The two principle projects are (1) the evolution of self-incompatibility and (2) the influence of temperature stress on plant reproduction. Studies on self-incompatibility examine cell-cell interactions between pollen and pollen transmitting tissue of basal angiosperms to gain a better understanding of traits important to reproduction in early angiosperms. Topics of interest include the signalling and recognition responses of the extracellular matrix and cellular endomembrane system to self-incompatible and compatible pollen. The influence of temperature stress on plant reproduction is being conducted primarily on wild-type and transgenic Arabidopsis and rice. The specific focus is to assess the stages of reproduction and cellular events that are most sensitive to temperature stress. These studies will identify the traits most affected by future climate change. Techniques used to address research questions include light, transmission, fluorescence, confocal, and scanning electron microscopy as well as histo/immunochemistry, and protein biochemistry.

Teaching

• Physiology of Plants and Micro-organisms - BOT251
• Comparative Morphology of Land Plants - BOT310
• Plant Anatomy - BOT341

Awards

• Faculty of Arts and Science Outstanding Teaching Award - 2007
• MacLean's Popular Professors - 2002-2006

Selected Publications