Janet Bala
M.S. student
Co-advisor: Rick Williams

Project Objective: To conduct a 2-part research project to investigate the allocation of resources (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus) to male and female function in gynodioecious Geranium richardsonii. The first part of the investigation examines the effects of nutrient limitation on sex allocation, and the second part will examine the effects of mycorrhizae (a symbiotic association of fungi and the roots of plants) on allocation of nutrients to male and female function.

Nutrient limitations may be an important factor in the evolution of plants. For most cultivated plants, the female tissue or fruit is most valuable, thus it may be useful to consider the resource allocation of male function in breeding programs. My own interest is in wildflower breeding systems, and the effects that nutrient poor soils could have on revegetation efforts as well as ecosystem maintenance programs.  This experiment will be the first phase in an ongoing study of the effects of resource limitations on sex allocation in Geranium richardsonii.