The Evolutionary Ecology and Genetics of Seed Characters

Research topics > Ecology > Genetics

As part of a research program on the genetic basis and adaptive significance of seed characters, we are currently investigating the quantitative genetic basis of seed dispersal and germination in Arabidopsis thaliana. Using a combination of natural genotypes and recombinant inbred lines, we are investigating the quantitative genetic architecture of germination responses to seasonal conditions. We are also studying the environment-dependent expression of genetic variation for traits that influence seed dispersion patterns.

Further Information: http://www.oeb.harvard.edu/faculty/donohue/

Selected Publications

Donohue, K., L. Dorn, C. Griffith, E. S. Kim, A. Aguilera, C. R. Polisetty, J. Schmitt. 2005. Environmental and genetic influences on the germination of Arabidopsis thaliana in the field. Evolution. In press.

Donohue, K., L. Dorn, C. Griffith, E. S. Kim, A. Aguilera, C. R. Polisetty, J. Schmitt. 2005. The evolutionary ecology of seed germination of Arabidopsis thaliana: Variable natural selection on germination timing. Evolution. In press.

Donohue, K., L. Dorn, C. Griffith, E. S. Kim, A. Aguilera, C. R. Polisetty, J. Schmitt. 2005. Niche construction through germination cueing: Life history responses to timing of germination in Arabidopsis thaliana. Evolution. In press.

Donohue, K. 2005. Niche construction through phenological plasticity: Life history dynamics and ecological consequences. (Invited review) New Phytologist, Special Issue. In press.

Donohue, K., C. R. Polisetty, N. J. Wender*. 2005. Genetic consequences of niche construction: Plasticity-mediated genetic constraints on the evolution of seed dispersal in Arabidopsis thaliana. The American Naturalist. In press.

Wender*, N. J., C. Polisetty, and K. Donohue. 2005. Density-dependent processes influencing the evolutionary dynamics of dispersal: A functional analysis of seed dispersal in Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae). American Journal of Botany. In press.

Stinson, K. A., J. Petzold*, J. Tran, and F. A. Bazazz. 2005. Elevated CO2 reduces light competition in stands of common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). Global Change Biology (In Prep.).

Donohue, K. 2004. Density-dependent multilevel selection in the Great Lakes sea rocket. Ecology 85: 180-191.

Cavender-Bares, J., F. A. Bazzaz, and K. A. Stinson. 2004. Terrestrial photosynthesis: the ecological viewpoint. In Papageorgiou and Govindgee (Eds.), Chlorophyll Fluorescence: A Signature of Photosynthesis. Kluwer Academic Press, Germany (In Press).

Catovsky, S., R. Crabtree, T. Sipe, G. Carlton, S. Bassow, L. George, and F. A. Bazzaz. 2004. Experimental approaches to understanding forest regeneration. Pp. 316-337 In D. Foster and J. Aber (Eds.), Forests in Time: The Environmental Consequences of 1000 Years of Change in New England. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT.

He, J. S. and F. A. Bazzaz. 2003. Density-dependent responses of reproductive allocation to elevated atmospheric CO2 in Phytolacca americana. New Phytologist 157: 229-239.

Donohue, K. 2003. Setting the stage: phenotypic plasticity as habitat selection. International Journal of Plant Sciences (special issue) 164: S79-S92.

Donohue, K. 2003. The influence of neighbor relatedness on multilevel selection in the Great lakes sea rocket. The American Naturalist 162: 77-92.

Donohue, K. 2002. Germination timing influences natural selection on life-history characters in Arabidopsis thaliana. Ecology 83: 1006-1016.

Bazzaz, F. A. and K. A. Stinson. 2001. Genetic versus environmental control of ecophysiological processes: some challenges for predicting community responses to global change. Pp. 283-295 In M. C. Pres, J. D. Scholes, and M. G. Barker (Eds.), Physiological Plant Ecology. British Ecological Society, U. K.

Mabry, C., M. Jasienski, J. S. Coleman, and F. A. Bazzaz. 1997. Genotypic variation in Polygonum pensylvanicum: nutrient effects on plant growth and aphid infestation. Canadian Journal of Botany 75: 546-551.

Jasienski, M., F. J. Ayala, and F. A. Bazzaz. 1997. Phenotypic plasticity and similarity of DNA among genotypes of an annual plant. Heredity 78: 176-181.

Wilson, P. 1995. Selection for pollination success and the mechanical fit of Impatiens flowers around bumblebee bodies. Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society 55: 355-383.

Wayne, P. M. and F. A. Bazzaz. 1991. Assessing diversity in plant communities: The importance of within-species variations. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 6: 400-404.