Paula Kover

The current focus of the lab is to understand how genetics interacts with an organism's ecology to determine the evolution of traits under natural selection. To reach this goal we investigate the genetic basis of evolutionary relevant traits such as flowering time, plant architecture and seed traits under different environments. We also use a direct approach to determine the adaptive value of candidate genes, using experimental evolution. To study genetic and ecological effects we perform research in both field and laboratory settings.

Currently, most research projects in the lab uses the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, but any system that allows the use of genetic data to get new insights into interesting ecological and evolutionary questions are welcomed.