Department of Biology Special Seminar: Detlef Weigel

Description

The Department of Biology presents Detlef Weigel, director at the Max Planck Institute for Biology in Tübingen, Germany, who will give a talk titled "Imperfect Plants in an Imperfect World," hosted by Erik Andersen.

This is a hybrid event; to attend virtually, use the Zoom link.

Abstract:

My group is addressing fundamental questions in evolutionary biology, using both genome-first and phenotype-first approaches. A particular interest is in how organisms solve the problems associated with fluctuating selection pressures. I will discuss how our work has led to the discovery of new biology, and how our studies of genetic conflicts inform our knowledge of constraints in plant immunity. I will emphasize that an understanding of what is relevant in the real world requires the integration of detecting footprints of past selection in genomes, performing lab experiments to gain insight into molecular mechanisms, and observing how plants behave in the field.