Evolution of separate sexes and epigenetics in plants

We study the evolution of separate sexes and epigenetics in plants using bioinformatics, statistics and experimental approaches. Our main model is the Silene genus but we also study wild spinach and amaranth. We are interested in the evolution of sexual dimorphism, sex chromosomes, imprinting and polyploidy.

Some of the questions we try to answer are:

• What are the evolutionary forces driving and constraining the evolution of sexual dimorphism in plants?

• How is sexual dimorphism determined?

• How do sex chromosomes evolve?

• Why do some genes have differential expression between their maternal and paternal copy (imprinting)?

• How is dosage compensation regulated?

• How does polyploidy impact the evolution of sex chromosomes?

We work at the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences of Montpellier (ISEM), within the "CHANGE" department and the "Plant Reproductive Strategies" (SRP) team. The SRP team focuses on the evolution of plant reproductive systems, using a variety of approaches including theory, experimentation, bioinformatics, and statistics.