Evolutionary biology allows us to see how the current diversity of life on our planet came to be—and helps us solve biological problems that affect our lives. As Canada Research Chair in Population Genomics, Dr. Stephen Wright is using genomics to better understand how plants, particularly agricultural weeds, evolve and adapt.
He and his research team are using comparative and population genomics to learn how plant sex chromosomes have evolved and how agricultural weeds have become resistant to herbicides. Their work will provide important new insights into how and why these repeated evolutionary changes occur. By shedding light on how weeds adapt to herbicides, their findings could increase crop yields and food security while creating economic benefits for farmers in Canada.