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SUMMARY:How do plant viruses affect plant-pollinator interactions?  - Step
 hanie Unna
DTSTART:20130510T110000Z
DTEND:20130510T113000Z
UID:TALK44287@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Megan Cooper
DESCRIPTION:Plant viruses are a major source of inefficiency in agricultur
 e\, causing the industry billions of dollars each year. Because of the dev
 astation they cause\, the positive effects of viruses are often largely ig
 nored. The discovery that tomatoes infected with cucumber mosaic virus are
  more attractive to pollinators may be of significance due to the global d
 ecline in pollinator services\, which continuously threatens agriculture. 
 Two major research routes are taken here: a close look into the molecular 
 mechanism of increased attraction\; and predicting its effects on the plan
 t population over evolutionary time. The molecular mechanisms are studied 
 with a reverse genetics approach whereby mutant and transgenic plants are 
 offered to bees in dichotomous choice tests. An evolutionary model is prop
 osed to determine the success of susceptible and resistant plant populatio
 ns. In this way it is hoped that we will come closer to addressing the que
 stion of whether or not the increased pollinator attraction is adaptive fo
 r the virus in selecting against viral resistance in plants by increasing 
 the reproductive fitness of infected plants. 
LOCATION:Biffen Lecture Theater\, Department of Genetics
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