Sexual Differentiation and the Evolution of the Dioescious Breeding System

Evolution is driven by reproductive success, therefore a plant's fundamental ecology is shaped by its breeding system. In dioecious species, selection can act separately on male and female reproductive strategies causing sexual specialisation. I will examine dioecious species from a wide range of phylogenetic lineages to determine whether selection leads to similar patterns of sexual differentiation in physiological and morphological traits. The project will demonstrate how selection on male and female reproductive strategies shapes life histories generally, and will enhance our understanding of the importance of sexual specialisation in the evolution of dioecy.