Selection optimizes plant form and function — but at a cost. We study how natural and artificial selection reshapes plant physiology, and what trade-offs emerge in stress tolerance, water dynamics, nutrient use, and lifespan across our model systems.
Our research Get in touchResearch & Team
Our research program investigates the physiological trade-offs associated with natural and artificial selection. While both types of selection aim to optimize ecological and/or morphological characteristics of plants, corresponding physiological changes will likely occur in order to support these characteristics — but this could also lead to trade-offs in stress tolerance, water dynamics, nutrient use, or lifespan. We seek to unravel these relationships across three main plant systems.
Assistant Professor (Teaching Stream), Department of Biological Sciences, UTSC. Jason leads the Brown Greenhouse Lab and oversees all research programs.
How do life history, oil vs. fibre selection, and flowering time interact to shape water dynamics and drought tolerance? Selection history in flax may carry significant physiological costs.
Mannat Bagga
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Do the same life-history and selection factors that influence water use also shape fertilizer requirements in flax? This project examines nutrient physiology through the lens of breeding history.
How do the secondary effects of wildfire smoke affect nutrient content across different B. oleracea cultivars? An increasingly urgent question as wildfire frequency rises globally.
Mason Buller
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Is there meaningful variation in salt tolerance among the seven cultivated forms of B. oleracea? Understanding this variation has implications for both crop resilience and selection-driven physiology.
Nadia Tasnim
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How does exogenous oxidative stress mitigate competition between evergreen and deciduous perennials? This project explores stress physiology as a mediator of plant community dynamics and competitive outcomes.
Lilyan Alassaf
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Publications
Click any paper to access it via DOI.
Arthropod-Plant Interactions · 20(2): 30
PerennialsGall Physiology 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s11829-026-10239-4Biological Journal of the Linnean Society · 144(1): blae102
PerennialsOxidative StressAntioxidants 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blae102Plant Growth Regulation · 104(2): 925–937
FlaxOxidative StressFlowering Time 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s10725-024-01209-yOil Crop Science
FlaxChlorophyllAnnual vs. Perennial 🔗 doi.org/10.1016/j.ocsci.2024.04.001Biologia · 77: 2063–2080
PerennialsOxidative StressAnnual vs. Perennial 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s11756-022-01055-1In Memoriam
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Contact
Interested in joining the lab, collaborating, or learning more about our work? Reach out to Dr. Jason Brown directly by email.
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Toronto Scarborough
1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4