Project description
A closer look at plant reproduction
In the world of plants, the dynamics of sexual selection have remained an enigma. The extent to which sexual selection theory applies to plants has largely remained an uncharted frontier. Sexual selection is a driving force behind the evolution of various reproductive strategies in animals, and hinges on the dynamics of competition for mates and their gametes. In this context, the ERC-funded SEXIPLANTS project will conduct comprehensive empirical tests to decipher the mechanisms governing this intriguing phenomenon. Specifically, it will conduct empirical tests to validate key predictions related to male-male competition, female choice processes and their genetic consequences. It will also explore the impact of pollinator behaviour and density on the process.
Objective
The SEXIPLANTS project aims at providing a comprehensive empirical test for plants of the sexual selection theory, and decipher the mechanisms underlying sexual selection in plants.
Sexual selection, acting through competition for the access to mates and their gametes, successfully explained numerous reproductive strategies in animals. Sexual selection typically emerges when females produce fewer numbers of larger gametes than males – a situation called anisogamy – which fosters competition among males for accessing the rare ovules. Sexual selection theory should thus be universally valid for all sexually reproducing anisogamous organisms encompassing plants. While the idea that sexual selection acts on plants is largely admitted, most predictions of the sexual selection theory remain untested in the plant kingdom. With a multi-method approach, including experimental evolution in the hermaphroditic plant Brassica rapa and comparative analyses in angiosperms, the SEXIPLANTS project asks:
Q1. Testing the theory.
Are fundamental predictions of sexual selection theory valid in the plant kingdom?
We will empirically test key predictions of sexual selection theory regarding both male-male competition and female choice processes, and their demographical and genetic consequences.
Q2. Specificity.
Does the action of pollinators introduces specificity in the operation of sexual selection?
We will empirically test how pollinator behaviour and density can alter sexual selection.
Q3. Perception.
Can plants perceive and respond to variation in their mating opportunities?
We will empirically test whether plants can plastically adjust the reproductive strategies to variation in competition for access to mates.
SEXIPLANTS will contribute to the development of a uniform and integrative theory of sexual selection valid for sexually-reproducing organisms including plants, and potentially reform our conceptual understanding of plant reproduction, with implications for conservation.
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
75794 Paris
France