Brassica napus, or Oilseed rape, is commonly known as Canola.    Brassica napus is an allotetraploid (2n = AACC = 38) that has formed naturally by hybridization between to other Brassica species,  Brassica rapa (2n = AA = 20) and Brassica oleracea (2n = CC = 18).  There are 6 major Brassica species which interact via hybridization to form the "Triangle of U".   

In addition to the many crops and condiments utilized from this important Genus of plants,  recent attention has focused on the use of Canola as a "Biofuel."  While  Canola agriculture in North America has predominantly been in Canada, demand for biofuels has increased the acreage of U.S. based Canola production.  With this increased production, exposure of transgenic Canola with compatible relatives is expected to increase.  In addition,  new transgenic constructs carrying a variety of different transgenes with potential for fitness enhancement outside of cultivation may lead to more competitive weeds. 

Previous research on transgene escape in Canada (Warwick et al. 2003) has demonstrated escape and persistence of herbicide resistance in compatible B. rapa populations.  While fitness advantages have not been demonstrated thus far with herbicide resistance,  transgenes which promote traits such as insect resistance, fungal resistance, or drought tolerance may produce a very different story.

In my research I'm interested in understanding the following questions:

 

What are the risks of transgene escape from genetically modified B. napus to compatible weedy and wild species?  Is it possible to produce hybrid "bridge" species between previously incompatible species?

 

What are the fitness costs and benefits of stacked transgenes in Canola agriculture and the impacts on geneflow to compatible weeds?

 

What is the ecological consequence of transgenic insect resistance in weedy Brassica rapa populations on plant communities?