How do plants grow thick?

My research focuses on plant structure and function, especially the patterns and processes underlying wood and bark formation, which largely contributes to the radial growth of plants--and most of Earth's biomass. This investigation places plant morpho-anatomical diversity within the broader context of ecological and evolutionary questions to inform how plants modulate their vascular tissues across time and space, allowing them to adapt to extreme conditions.

Most woody plants grow thick using a "simple" and conserved way to organize vascular tissues (i.e., wood and inner bark) in their stems and roots. Other plants developed more complicated forms to arrange the same tissues. I am particularly excited about exploring the biology of these "atypical" vascular architectures (called "vascular variants"), which create functional forms in wild and cultivated plants. Examples include the concentric rings of the beetroot, a phenomenon also observed in the stems and roots of many woody vines (among other herbs, trees, and shrubs). 

Given that vascular variants evolved multiple times during the evolution of seed plants, they present a natural system for investigating the fundamental rules of life and advancing applied research. I use fieldwork, experimental methods, collection-based research, and computational biology to investigate questions about plant diversity and establish connections between plant phenotypes, genotypes, and their environment.  

You can find more about these findings below and on the Publications page.