Arthur Weis

Background

About Arthur Weis

Research in Ecology, Evolution and Genetics since 1976. My early research interests included insect life history evolution, host-parasite co-eovlution and the genetics of plant defense systems. Much of that work centered on goldenrod, the goldenrod gall fly, and the fly’s predators and parasites. Current work probes the selective pressures imposed by climate change. In California, my lab developed the “resurrection paradigm” as a method to measure rates of contemporary evolution. With this method we discovered a rapid adaptive evolutionary response by field mustard, a winter annual, to an extended drought-the type of climate fluctuation that is increasing in frequency with global warming. At the University of Toronto's Koffler Scientific Reserve, I continue to work on evolutionary shifts in the genetic controls for the timing of plant developmental events (flowering, dormancy, etc.) in response to lengthening growing seasons. This work employs the Experimental Climate Warming Array, which imposes the thermal regime predicted for mid century onto open-air experimental growth plots. With this setup, the performance of defined genetic plant strains can be evaluated under current and future conditions to determine the potential for evolutionary change. I am also initiated Project Baseline, which is establishing a seed bank that later generations of evolutionary biologists can draw upon to implement the “resurrection paradigm” in studying evolutionary consequences of global change. I am the past director of the Canadian Institute for Ecology and Evolution/Institut canadienne d'écologie et d'évolution, a national “think tank” to facilitate synthesis of existing research results, development of new theory, and unbiased assessments of ecological and evolutionary issues to policy makers and stakeholders.