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What we do
Our research investigates plant morpho-anatomical diversity across biological scales, from genes and cells to whole organisms. We integrate plant anatomy, developmental biology, molecular biology, phylogenetics, and ecology to place these traits within an evolutionary and environmental context. Using fieldwork, wet-lab and collection-based approaches, and computational biology, we connect phenotypic variation with underlying genetic mechanisms and ecological conditions, revealing how plants modulate growth and development across time and space.
How do plants grow thick?
This is one of the core questions we currently study in the lab. Here, we uncover the patterns and processes underlying plant vascular biology, which significantly contribute to plants' radial growth and a substantial portion of Earth's biomass.
Specifically, we examine the recurring evolution of vascular variants, which are unusual patterns of vascular development observed in both wild and cultivated plants. Given that vascular variants evolved multiple times during the evolution of flowering plants, they present a natural system for investigating the rules of life and advancing applied research. Learn more about this topic here!
Plants produce their food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. In search of these resources, they grow tall and thick, storing carbon in their tissues, mostly in their roots, stems, and leaves.​
Applying New Technologies to Investigate Plant Vascular Biology
To further our understanding of plant structure, we pioneered the use of Laser Ablation Tomography (LATscan) — a new high-throughput phenotyping system for plants and other materials (Cunha Neto et al., 2023; New Phytol.). In this study, we applied LATscan to multiple woody vines, including species with vascular variants. From left to right: common moonseed, queen coralbead, and gnetum.
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