Rule Breakers of the Plant World

In this episode, Cole and his guests discuss Penn State’s launch of the world’s first Center for Parasitic and Carnivorous Plants. These fascinatingly strange organisms have much to teach us about the outrageous diversity of life - especially now that we have the capacity to study them at every scale, from the molecular to the ecological.

Relevant Links:

• The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences

Guests:

• Claude dePamphilis, Professor of Biology at Penn State, studies the genomics, evolution, and functional biology of parasitic plants.
• Tanya Renner, Assistant Professor of Entomology at Penn State, investigates the evolution of chemical and structural defense, particularly as they relate to carnivorous plants.
• Tomas Carlo-Joglar, Associate Professor of Biology at Penn State, studies seed dispersal ecology, foraging behavior, and plant ecology, with a focus on parasitic mistletoes.