Specifically, I will: (1) perform a QTL analysis to map the genetic basis of plants' competitiveness towards related neighbours (2) use RNA-Seq to test whether the expression of cooperative traits depends on the detection of related neighbours and (3) determine how the group productivity of naturally cooperative genotypes compares with that of 'green revolution' genotypes. To address this, I will exploit the Arabidopsis MAGIC inbred lines-a new genetic resource that captures much of the natural variation in the species. thaliana plants often grow with relatives, and so their genomes may contain many unknown genes that benefit neighbours and promote group productivity. My proposed research, focussed on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, is based on the idea that wild A. Furthermore, because reduced competitiveness should free up resources for reproduction, cooperation can promote group productivity (e.g., crop yield) indeed, this is one way of interpreting the success of agriculture's green revolution. Evolutionary biology predicts that if plants grow with genetically related neighbours (e.g., siblings), then natural selection can favour cooperation, or reduced competitiveness over resources. This is particularly true of 'social' adaptation, or how plants adapt to grow and compete with their neighbours. Studying the genetic basis of plant adaptation can uncover natural alleles for future crop improvement.

As the UK's need for sustainable agriculture grows, I want to know if Nature's work can be exploited to help meet the demand. After finding the most cooperative types, I will determine how productive these natural variants are relative to the dwarfed plants currently used in agriculture. At the University of Oxford, I will search through many different variants of a model plant species (Arabidopsis thaliana, a relative of cabbage and mustard), aiming to discover these cooperative plant traits and their genetic basis. My work is based on the idea that plants in nature often grow with relatives, and so these plants may have many unknown traits that benefit neighbours and promote group productivity.

This can occur when neighbours are genetically related (e.g., siblings), so that being nice to a neighbour means that you pass your genes on, albeit indirectly. On the other hand, evolutionary biologists understand that natural selection will sometimes favour 'weak' competitors. This success story is sometimes told as 'reversal' of natural selection's work to produce tall and robust competitors. When grown together, however, dwarfed plants provided a major boost to crop productivity. On account of their small size, these plants did poorly against taller competitors. How will the UK increase its future agricultural productivity? One of the major successes in agricultural production involved the artificial creation of dwarfed plants.

Arabidopsis magic lines