Project

Evolution of floral scent in species of Asimina

Code
01N16819
Duration
01 March 2020 → 31 December 2024
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Research disciplines
  • Natural sciences
    • Phylogeny and comparative analysis
    • Speciation
    • Plant developmental and reproductive biology
Keywords
Asimina evolution floral scent GC-MS phylogenetics volatile organic compounds (VOC)
 
Project description

Flowers of species of the (sub)tropical plant family Annonaceae produce fruity odours, for example of banana, lemon or strawberry. We want to test the hypothesis that differences in floral scents maintain reproductive isolation between species. The goal is to infer phylogenetic relationships of 12 species of Asimina, and reconstruct the evolution of the VOCs that make up floral scents.